By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Amidst increasing cases of mass abductions of school children and other vulnerable sets of the populace in the Northern Region of the country, the Kano police authorities on Thursday May 2, 2024, launched the Schools Protection Squad SPS with a view to providing adequate security cover for primary, Secondary, and some other vulnerable tertiary educational institutions in the State.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Hussain Gumel, who officially flagged off the initiative, said the establishment of the special Schools protection team, is in tandem with the vision of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to effectively provide safe environment for schooling, through the protection of both students and teachers ,as well as schools facilities and their critical infrastructures.
At an interactive session with the Media to mark his one year in office as the Kano Police Command, Gumel, stated that the Squad which comprises 60 adequately trained police operatives ,has been provided with all the necessary equipment for the task ahead.
CP Gumel, announced that the posting of the operatives of the Squad with the primary responsibility of providing robust patrols around all Primary and Secondary schools in the state will commence immediately, .
The SPS, he noted, will also ,monitor activities in and around some vulnerable tertiary educational institutions in all locations across the three Senatorial districts of Kano state .
The Kano state police Commissioner ,while xraying the Command’s achievements since he assumed office in the last one year,pointed to the reformation of no fewer than 623 criminal elements ,as perhaps the most instructive.
“In Compliance with the directive and vision of the Inspector General of Police IGP to all police formations and Commands to implement various problem-solving initiatives such as the Community Policing approach to tackle emerging community crimes ,the police Command in kano took the bull by the horn .
After reviewing the crime pattern and conducted crime mapping of the state ,we drew up the action plan which centred around robust community policing engagements with relevant stakeholders,synergizing with the military and other security agencies and the use of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches .
It was through these collective efforts that we succeeded in fighting and bringing down the wave of crime and criminality in the state .
As a result of employing these approaches ,the Command received and profiled a total of six hundred and twenty three repentant thugs ,took them off streets ,and currently transitioning them away from life of crime .
Some of them have since been engaged by the Kano State Government into practicing various life changing empowerment programmes “CP Gumel stated.
The Kano State Police Chief, also, said that the command within the period under review, arrested and prosecuted over 3000 suspected criminals, kidnappers, banditry elements ,armed robbers ,human traffickers and illicit drug dealers ..
“Within the same period, the Command has been able to flush out criminal elements who occupied the historic Dala Hills ,using it as a hide out and turning it into an enclave from where they launch mayhem and various criminal activities on the good people of Kano State.
The criminals not only attempted to destroy a major symbol of Kano’s history, but almost destroyed a world class tourist centre, a source of wealth creation and revenue generation for the state.
Thus far, the intervention of the police Command has made the historic site safe and secure for all residents and visitors” CP Gumel noted.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, expressed his sincere appreciation to the Kano State Government ,other sister Security Agencies, Community policing stakeholders, the Media and Civil Society Groups for their unalloyed support, cooperation and understanding, insisting that credit should also go to the Kano residents for their collaborative efforts.
