Nigerian police chief vows to fight against insurgency

Nigeria's police chief Solomon Arase has reiterated commitment to sustain the fight against insurgency in the country.

Arase, the country's Inspector-General of Police (IGP) said this in a statement made available to Xinhua on Thursday.

Arase said 4,000 operational policemen are working in partnership with the military to end insurgency in the northeast.

He said a deputy police commissioner had been deployed to the Operations Command Center in Maiduguri, the restive Borno State capital city.

Meanwhile, security was beefed up in many parts of the country on Thursday as Muslims in Nigeria joined their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid el-kabir.

The police chief, in the statement directed that there should be effective and extensive deployment of policemen and logistics across the country during the Eid el-Kabir celebrations.

Arase ordered the strengthening of security around all praying grounds, shopping malls, gardens, recreational spots, critical infrastructure and motor parks across the country.

Arase enjoined Nigerians to always report acts of criminality to the police at all times as the Nigerian police was prepared to take prompt and decisive actions.

In central north Jos city, there was presence of heavily armed security men at strategic locations and areas considered as flash points in the city.

Also, the southwest Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, told reporters that adequate number of policemen have been deployed to ensure security during the Sallah holidays.

He said there would be a continuous raiding of black spots and uncompleted buildings across the state.

Owoseni called on members of the public to report strange movements and gatherings in the state to the police. Endit