Nigeria’s crime rate declining – IGP

The Inspector General of Police (IGP,), Kayode Egbetokun, has said the crime rate in Nigeria has declined but that the Force will do more to reduce it.

Mr Egbetokun spoke Friday in Abuja while addressing journalists after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

The IGP said he presented a report on the security situation in the country to President Bola Tinubu, adding that it shows a reduction in crime rate.

Mr Egbetokun did not, however, provide journalists with the statistics.

Security situation under Tinubu

In May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that almost all parts of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) still suffer one form of insecurity or the other.

According to the report, Nigeria recorded over 4,556 fatalities and 7,086 abductions between 29 May 2023 and 22 May 2024.

Also in June 2024, there were major attacks recorded in some parts of the country which included those carried out by terrorist groups.

Recently, four Boko Haram female suicide bombers killed more than 18 people during attacks in different places in Borno state.

There have also been increasing cases of armed robberies in different places in the country, including the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Declining crime rate

Despite these incidents, Mr Egbetokun said the police report shows that the rate of crime rate in the country has been on the decline.

He added that the president was satisfied with the report.

“It is a routine security meeting we had with Mr President where we had the opportunity of giving him security briefs. This, we have been doing regularly, Mr President is satisfied. He has challenged us to continue to work together and improve our synergy.

“As Inspector General of Police, we have records of all reported crimes across the country and I can tell you that the crime rate is declining in Nigeria. Records don’t lie. The records are there. So, I can assure you that we will continue to do what we are doing to maintain the decline in the crime rate,” Mr Egbetokun said.

We’ll end oil theft – CDS

Also, speaking to journalists, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, said the military is determined to end oil theft in the Niger Delta region to restore full oil production.

According to Mr Musa, the country is targetting production of 2.1 million barrels per day.

“Very well, as usual, you know Nigeria relies a lot on what we produce and his mandate. Like we mentioned days back, it is for us to restore full production. We are targeting 2.1 million barrels per day, which is achievable. So we’re taking steps to ensure that all that is required to be done is done.

“The president is aware of the hues and cries of the communities and he is not going to let them down. The communities should be rest assured that steps are going to be taken to address their grievances so that production will continue.”

The CDS also vowed that the military would stop the thieves from further stealing Nigeria’s crude oil.

READ ALSO: Police arrest couple for allegedly torturing 13-year-old ward

“For the criminals, those that are hell-bent on stealing our infrastructure, stealing our crude for whatever reasons, their days are numbered. They should rest assured that we are coming after them and we want to assure Nigerians that we all need to put our hands together to achieve this success.

“Nobody can do it alone. No single service, no single individual can do this alone. We all need to work together including the states. We understand that the communities are doing so much. The president will address those issues to ensure that we have full production,” Mr Musa, a general, said.