Following the kidnap incidents which affected schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, the police Command in Benue State has assured that schools in the state are safe.

The state Commissioner of Police in Benue, Emenari Ifeanyi, told journalists on Friday that the command had tightened security in and around schools in the state.

Mr Ifeanyi said aside the Schools Protection Squad (SPS) of the force, the command had posted personnel to some schools in the state, especially girls schools.

He said the Inspector-General of Police had already directed that schools and worship centres must be secured in the country.

He stated, “The IGP has already given directives to the commissioners of police in the country to make sure that schools and worship centres including our mosques are secured. Even before then, we had posted security men to all the public schools in the state, especially the girls schools.

“As we speak now, we have put permanent security men there, while in other schools, we have deployed our men to carry out routine patrols and asked the principals to have police telephone numbers, so that if anything happens, they would call police immediately for necessary action.

“We have also organised a programme to train both teachers and students on what to do if anything happens, especially getting in contact with police, so we have our schools properly covered.”

On the forthcoming Yuletide, Mr Ifeanyi said the command had put in place proactive measures to ensure that the state was safe and citizens enjoyed the season.

Mr Ifeanyi noted, “Members of my management team have been posted to the hinterland and all the other commands are being manned by deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners, apart from the other commanders on ground with tactical teams to all the troubled areas.

“We have emplaced heightened presence of competent police teams across the state and as we speak, they are there in the nooks and crannies of the state to help maintain peace, especially in seemingly volatile areas.

We have told members of the public that if they notice any suspicious movement, they should let their DPO and area commanders know.

“We are working in synergy with sister security agencies in all the divisions in the state and the military, NSCDC, the Civil Protection Guard, Forest Guards, the Hunters Association and Local Government chairmen to ensure that the state does not witness any form of crime during the festive season.”

(NAN)