by Azeez Adeniyi

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has said the Force will set up tracking units in Lagos and Port  Harcourt as part of its efforts to combat kidnappings.

Idris made this known when he was interacting with civil society groups and crime reporters in Lagos on Friday.

Idris said kidnappings was becoming rampant in the country.

He said the machines will help resolve over 95 per cent of kidnapping incidents.

He said, “Already, tracking machines have been deployed to states and will start functioning in few weeks time, so as to reduce pressure on those in Abuja.

“This will enhance the police anti-kidnapping drive.

“The machine in Port Harcourt, Rivers will cater for the South-South and South East zones, while the one deployed to Lagos would focus on the west.”

The IGP said the lack of funds has stalled the force plans to reinvigorate its forensic laboratories.

He urged Nigerians to assist the police in tackling armed crimes, reiterating that the fight against kidnappers was a community fight.

He said, “When I assumed duty, one of the plans we came up with was to rehabilitate our forensic units. I outlined the challenges of the police and how to handle them.

“The thing is that we have been having funding challenges.

“We are trying to address it in a holistic manner. Very soon, we are going to have National Security Summit. Kidnapping seems to be a community problem.

“Over 90 percent of victims have been rescued. I agree that it is becoming a major challenge. It cuts across the entire country. It has to be addressed in various forms.

“It is not just the police or security agencies. Take for instance where the Turkish School students were kidnapped. That school is situated at the foot of a swamp.

“Despite that parents pay a huge amount of money, the school did not invest much in security.

“So, we are going to use the summit to address these issues as well as others like the herdsmen and farmers issues.

“These issues are further dividing us as a nation and we need to solve them.

“You cannot have the maximum support of security in an area without the support of the public.

“Everybody has one thing or the other to make our society safe.”