Twenty seven police officers
who went missing after Boko
Haram terrorists seized
Gwoza in Borno State in
August, 2014, may still be
found after 10 months, as the
Nigerian government believes
they are not dead, the
Inspector-General of Police,
Solomon Arase, said on
Tuesday.
The police IG said the police
have not been officially
declared dead yet.
He spoke on Tuesday this
while responding to questions
from journalists after
inaugurating th
e Board of Directors of the
Nigeria Police Property
Development and
Construction Company Ltd.
The I-G explained that the
police would follow its
tradition of declaring officers
that got missing in battle
dead after the lapse of a
period of time which he
declined to give.
“About our colleagues, who
are missing in Gwoza, there is
a tradition in the police force.
“When officers are missing in
battle, we do not declare
them dead or missing until
after a period has lapsed.
“So, we are still waiting for
that period to lapse, and if we
cannot find them after that
time, then, we will formally
declare them either dead or
missing,” Mr. Arase said.
Thirty five police officers
were declared missing on
August 20, 2014 after the
insurgents attacked a police
academy in Gwoza.
However, the Police
spokesperson, Emmanuel
Ojukwu, later told journalists
that eight of them were
found, leaving 27 still
missing.
The police IG said the current
police management was
passionate about the welfare
of the inspectors, rank and
file, who were mostly
operational personnel.
Mr. Arase said the welfare of
those categories of personnel
needed to be given priority to
ensure that corruption was
stamped out of the force.
He announced that 36,000
personnel would by next
week proceed on training that
would lead to their promotion
to the next rank.
“We have a social contract
with our inspectors, rank and
file,’’ he said.
The seven-man board is
chaired by the Inspector-
General of Police.
The I-G, on June 4, mandated
the Police Works Department
to build 6,000 units of
modern houses for the rank
and file personnel.
Five hundred units of the
houses are to be located in
each of the 12 police zonal
commands across the nation.
(NAN)
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/185189-10-months-after-27-police-officers-missing-in-gwoza-not-dead-ig.html

s

H