Nigeria to Restructure Police Force to Tackle Insecurity

(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria is restructuring its police force to tackle rising insecurity by acquiring modern equipment, recruiting new staff and building community intelligence, President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Buhari appointed a minister of police affairs this week to lead the initiative. CCTV cameras will be installed on major highways and other places to curb crime, the president said.

“Directives have been issued to the appropriate federal authorities to speedily approve licensing for States requesting the use of drones to monitor forests and other criminal hideouts,” he said.

Africa’s most populous country faces diverse security challenges including Boko Haram insurgency in its Northeast region, banditry and kidnapping in many parts of the country and militancy in the Niger River Delta.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anthony Osae-Brown in Lagos at aosaebrown2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.