President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday commissioned 139 Hilux Patrol Vehicles including 46 Police Smart Surveillance (CCTV Camera-on-the Move) Vehicles. 

The event at the Police headquarters in Abuja also included the commissioning of 11 Tactical Operations Vehicles fitted with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment; 9 Armoured Personnel Carriers; 5 Troop Carriers; and 7 Anti-Riot Water Cannon Trucks. 

Also commissioned was the Nigeria Police National Command and Control Centre (NPF-C4i) and the first phase of the Nigeria Police Crime and Incident Data Base (NPC & IDB) Centre. 

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu told President Buhari of his policing strategy: to deploy surveillance technology in crime management operations.

 “The acquisition of the Police Smart Surveillance Vehicle which are fitted with high-resolution, long-distance CCTV monitoring equipment with night electronic functionalities and are linked to the Nigeria Police National Command and Control Centre (NPF-C4i) is to achieve this purpose”, Adamu said. 

“The vehicles will be deployed for real-time electronic monitoring of the Abuja-Kaduna highway and other major highways and vulnerable locations across the country including the electronic surveillance of NNPC pipelines in the country.

“The patrol vehicles on the other hand, will be utilized to strengthen the Safer Highway Patrol scheme, while the Tactical and Armoured Personnel Carriers will be used for special police operations especially, in support of our anti-banditry, anti-kidnapping and anti-robbery operations.

The water cannon trucks shall be deployed for the management of civil disorders within the dictates of our democratic values, rule of law and international best practices.“

The Nigeria Police National Command and Control Centre (NPF-C4i) will enhance effective operational coordination and real-time monitoring of situations via video link between the Force Headquarters, Abuja and all the 36 State Police Commands and the FCT. Similarly, the Nigeria Police Crime and Incident Data Base (NPC & IDB) Centre is to aid the Nigeria Police in acquiring a credible electronic criminal data base to support criminal investigation and strategic operational and tactical planning.” Adamu said today’s event represented the first phase of the re-equipment plan for the police.

He said with the effective take-off of the Police Trust Fund, the police force under his watch will sustain his blueprint of modernizing all components of police operations towards addressing any form of threat to Nigeria’s internal security.