Minister of Police Affairs Caleb Olubolade said on Friday that security agencies will not revenge the killing of police officers by the ‘Ombatse’ cult in Nasarawa State.
Olubolade gave the assurance in an interview with State House correspondents after an emergency security meeting summoned by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.
“The security agencies, particularly the police, will not want to go and revenge; it is not going to help us because they are supposed to protect lives and property.
“Going to revenge will not douse tension and will bring about lack of confidence in the system. So, we strictly discourage that,’’ he said.
The police officers who died were said to be on their way to arrest the leader of the Ombatse cult when gunmen ambushed and opened fire on them.
The minister said that the president summoned the emergency security meeting to address the security challenges and the spate of killings while he was out of the country.
“He had to cut short his journey to South Africa and abort his state visit to Namibia because of insecurity and loss of lives.
“So, he summoned the security agencies to have a meeting with us and as you can see, they are still there.
“The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and other Service Chiefs are still with him.
“He is looking at how we can put an end to all these troubles we are having and I think at the end of that deliberation, you will get to know the outcome,” he said.
Olubolade said the police needed to restrategise and be well equipped to be able to confront the spate of insecurity in the country.
He said government would continue to address the problem of unemployment which “created the avenue for growing criminals’’.
The National Security Adviser, Retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, the CDS, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Alex Barde, were at the meeting.
Others at the meeting were the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, who wore a black armband as a sign of mourning and the Director General of the State Security Services, Ita Ekpeyong. The Chief of Army Staff was represented at the occasion.
NAN
