The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has declared that repentant terrorists and other former criminals will not be recruited into its ranks, warning community leaders and other stakeholders against recommending such individuals for enlistment.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the North-Central Zone, Isyaku Mohammed, made the declaration on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State, attended by police officers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport union representatives, and other community stakeholders.

Mohammed urged traditional rulers, community leaders, and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to be vigilant and refrain from endorsing individuals with criminal records seeking to join security agencies.

“We will not allow repentant criminals to find their way into the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.

According to the DIG, community leaders have a critical role to play in ensuring that individuals with questionable backgrounds are not admitted into the police.

“Traditional rulers and DPOs do sign for those people, and I don’t think they will recommend anybody who has been involved in criminality in the name of ‘I have repented’,” he stated.

Drawing from his experience in the North-East, Mohammed recalled public resistance to the reintegration of deradicalised Boko Haram members into communities.

“I was privileged to serve in the North-East. The military, in its wisdom, accepted deradicalised Boko Haram members, reoriented them and sent them back to society. During a town hall meeting I attended in Yobe, community members rejected them and said they should be taken elsewhere because they knew the atrocities they had committed,” he said.

He added that while the reintegration programme was a Federal Government policy, the police would focus on preventing former criminals from gaining entry into the force.

“The only thing we can do is protect our own territory and ensure that such repentant people do not find their way into the Nigeria Police. We are doing everything possible to ensure that not just repentant criminals, but even bad elements, do not gain entry into the force,” he said.

The DIG warned stakeholders that any criminal recommended to the police would eventually be deployed back to their communities.

“So, community heads and other stakeholders should not sign for them. Identify them and expose them. If you allow them into the system, after training we will send them back to your communities to police your areas, and you will bear the consequences,” he said.

Mohammed also announced plans to inaugurate a joint border patrol operation to strengthen security across Kwara State’s borders.

“Kwara shares boundaries with Ekiti, Oyo, Kogi and Niger states, as well as the Benin Republic. The joint border patrol will cover these border corridors to prevent criminal activities and the movement of criminals,” he said.

The DIG explained that the initiative followed a directive by the Inspector-General of Police for senior officers to engage stakeholders across their zones to assess security challenges and improve policing strategies.

He further advocated community policing as a key tool for crime prevention.

“Community policing is a preventive security strategy where communities take ownership of security efforts,” he said, urging residents to embrace the concept.

Mohammed also stressed the importance of timely intelligence sharing and youth engagement, noting that empowering young people and involving them in productive activities would help reduce crime and strengthen security across communities.
By Biola Azeez
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