Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, on Wednesday raised concern over the calibre of weapons wielded by pirates and oil thieves.
He said even law enforcement agencies lack such weapons wielded by these criminals.
The IGP expressed concern over the amounts of weapons that come into the country and end up in the hands of criminals.
Adamu said this when he received senior officers of the Police, Departs of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies who are the Course participants of the National Institute of Security Studies ,Bwari Abuja, at the Force Headquarters.
They were led by the Commandant, Ayodele Adeleke.
“Looking at the challenges in terms of terrorism, proliferation of small arms and light weapons and drug trafficking, while we are in the land trying to secure our country there are people that specialize in the high sea on how to commit crime for economic benefit and we know the ramifications of those. The bulk of our international trade comes through the sea. It is on record that the crisis we have been having in the southern part of the country is increased by the amount of weapons that come into our country and into the hands of whether you call them militants or criminals.
“The calibre of weapons they are carrying, none of us in the law enforcement agencies are carrying them. And when it comes to oil theft, it is the same kind of weapons they use to steal crude and other products and then go away with it. And then get themselves ready for anybody that would come across them. Just like the commandant has said for us to be able to secure our waters the southern part of this country around the gulf really we must cooperate.”
Adamu said such cooperation must not just be within the country, but also with other countries that are along the Gulf of Guinea, where such criminalities in the high sea occur.
Adamu, who reiterated his support for community policing, urged that security should not be left in the hands of law enforcement officers alone.
He said security should be the concern of everyone in the society.