The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, has revealed that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had not commenced recruitment due to lack of finance.
Arase gave this explanation during an interactive meeting with security stakeholders in Akure, Ondo State on Friday.
He added that training, welfare and salaries of such recruits required a lot of money.
He called on police personnel to respect security stakeholders to ensure effective policing.
According to him, police personnel in the state need the cooperation of concerned security stakeholders to ensure security of lives and property.
“Our officers should respect the traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport workers and other groups to enable them do their job professionally.
“They should communicate with them to get useful information to curb crime in the society”.
He told the public to give timely and useful information to the police to fight crime to the barest minimum in the state and Nigeria at large.
He added that the police were making strategic plans to reduce kidnapping in the country and urged the public to divulge information on suspicious person whom he noted, live in communities.
Arase assured that he was committed to better welfare of officers of the force.
He added that since he assumed office, 400 two-bedroom flats had been built for officers which would be inaugurated in March.
“I believe that if we want to change the police for better, we need to cater for its officers because they are the ones at major difficult terrains.
“Within the last eight months under my leadership, I have given scholarship to 325 children of these personnel and have promoted about 36,000 inspectors.”
On constant rift between farmers and herdsmen, Arase said that most of the herdsmen involved in such rift were not Nigerians.
He said they were foreigners who entered the country through porous borders. He urged farmers to be careful in dealing with such herdsmen.
