Segun Atanda/
Officers attached to Railway Police Command are being tuned up for better performance as upgrade in rail transport draws increasing traffic nationwide.
Anticipating crimes that come with such growth being driven by the Federal Government (FG), police authorities say they are rising up to the challenges with the installation of modern security gadgets and human capacity building.
The new Commissioner of Police (CP) at the Railway Command, Mr Leye Oyebade told a cross-section of officers at the headquarters in Lagos on Monday that they would embark on range practice as he drilled into them the standards expected by the FG and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris.
“The IGP wants the police to go along modern lines. Things must change. You must meet the standard. I won’t spare whoever fails to meet it,” he warned the officers.
Oyebade spoke about an evolving railway system that will take much traffic off the highways and be safe enough to be patronized by everybody like it was seen in UK where the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, was seen having a train ride.
He said, “It’s safer to move goods by train. The present government is transforming the railway system and if it’s going to be transformed, the police are integral part of the system. There’s going to be a security backup to ensure the success of that transformation agenda.”
According to Oyebade, who has returned to serve at the Railway Command for the third time in his 31-year-old career, the police must do much more now that the Abuja-Kaduna rail axis is up and running and the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan axis that will pose much more challenges is in sight.
He said, “We must continue to ensure safety of lives, goods, and properties. By the time the Lagos-Ibadan project is completed, I foresee a demand that the Railways authorities may find difficult to meet up with. Look at the way people use train service to Osun during the Ramadan.
“Most of the trucks on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will not be on the road again. There will be lots of passengers and goods. When you have all of that, you should think about the kind of crimes that will be connected one way or the other. That’s why the police must rise up.”
Oyebade assured the officers that the IGP has prepared a welfare package to address “more Inspectors and rank and file”.
He also told them about the IGP’s housing project that would ensure they move into their own houses on retirement.
“You have a define mandate. Don’t do anything that will mess you up or discredit the Nigeria Police, the Inspector-General of Police, or the Railway Command,” he said.
He further harped on the need for policemen to be fair, firm and professional, to observe the 3Hs – humility, honesty, and hard work, and to police with the fear of God.
Oyebade also drew the officers’ attention to some landmark achievements of past IGP’s including Musiliu Smith, Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero, Mike Okiro, MD Abubakar, Suleiman Abba, and Solomon Arase.
Oyebade’s lieutenants who were at the lecture included Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vincent Brown, ACP Sybil Akinfenwa, ACP Onyeugo Victor, and ACP Emmanuel Bretet.
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