The newly appointed Commissioner of Police (CP) in Jigawa State, Haruna Alaba, has pledged to adopt intelligence-led policing and strengthen community engagement to curb crime across the state.
Alaba, who hails from Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, assumed office following the redeployment of his predecessor, Muhammad Dahiru. He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police.
Speaking during his maiden press briefing on Tuesday at the Jigawa State Police Headquarters, Alaba outlined seven key priority areas for his tenure, focusing on crime prevention, community policing, and rapid response.
“We will intensify intelligence gathering and sharing mechanisms across the state, leveraging community-based intelligence to preempt crime before it occurs,” he said.
He stressed that policing cannot succeed without public trust and cooperation, promising to deepen engagement with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and other stakeholders.
Alaba warned that his administration would take a firm stance against all forms of criminality, including armed robbery, cattle rustling, drug trafficking, vandalism, and motorcycle theft. “We will ensure that criminals have no safe haven anywhere in the state,” he said.
The CP also emphasised professionalism, discipline, and respect for human rights, assuring that officers would be held accountable for their actions and inactions.
On operational improvements, he pledged to enhance patrols, ensure strategic deployment of personnel, and improve rapid response to distress calls, saying, “police presence will be felt across all communities.”
Highlighting priority security challenges, Alaba identified cattle rustling, vandalism, drug abuse, and motorcycle snatching, promising to dismantle criminal networks through strengthened intelligence operations.
He further noted that continuous training, retraining, and improved welfare for police personnel would be prioritised to boost service delivery.
The CP called on residents to support the police by providing timely and credible information, stressing that “security is a collective responsibility.”
Alaba concluded by assuring Jigawa residents that his administration would remain committed to fairness, justice, and the rule of law.
