No fewer than three hundred and eighty-nine officers of the Nigeria Police Force have been reportedly killed by the Boko Haram insurgency in a decade.
OsunDaily News reports that the figures were confirmed by the Police Commissioner (CP) in Borno, Abdu Umar.
Umar who spoke on Saturday at the inauguration of a constructed police station and barracks at Beneshiek, headquarters of Kaga Local Government Area of the state, said at least four-hundred and fifty other personnel suffered a series of injuries from the different attacks.
The state police boss further revealed that the records from 2011 to date showed that the force lost no fewer than 24 police barracks and 30 stations to fire set by the terrorists, adding that several pieces of fighting equipment were carted away and destroyed by the assailants.
“It will be recalled that at the height of the insurgency, precisely between 2011 and today, over 30 Police Stations/Formations and 24 Police Barracks were burnt or destroyed by the insurgents.
“389 policemen lost their lives, over 450 policemen injured while several crime-fighting types of equipment carted away or burnt.
“The losses suffered by the Police Command in the state attracted numerous interventions amongst which we are witnessing one of such interventions today,” CP Umar said.
The CP while making further revelations, commended the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba-Alkali, who inaugurated the new edifice in the state as part of his working visit to the state.
Umar said it was worthy to praise the IGP for his interventions towards providing a conducive working environment and bringing the service of the police closer to the people, adding that the command would ensure proper utilisation of the facilities for maximum results.
He also lauded the state government for its support to the police, adding that the government reconstructed some of the vandalised police stations across the state. The commissioner further commended donors and development organisations for helping rebuild destroyed police structures and other facilities in the state.
He listed the organisations to include the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative, Victim Support Fund (VSF), Nigeria Police Trust Fund, North-East Development Commission (NEDC), North-East Regional Initiative (NERI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This article was originally published on OsunDaily News
