A new Assistant Inspector -General (AIG) of Police has assumed duty at Zone 16, the zonal headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The new AIG, Don Awunah, replaced the recently retired AIG Austin Agbonlahor, who was in charge of the zone.
Speaking after formally taking over duty at the Zonal headquarters of the command in Yenagoa on Monday, October 11th, he described policing as the bedrock of the society, and called on the public and other sister security agencies to work in order to eradicate crime and criminality.
The Zonal command helmsman also called on the people of Bayelsa and Rivers states to give the police the necessary support to enable it carry perform its duty effectively, adding that he is ready to enforce community policing since it’s a veritable strategy to fight crime.
While promising to give the two states command under the zone the needed direction, he noted that the zonal command is not a first reference point for complaints from members of the public.
Awunah urged officers and men of the zonal command to embrace the people in order to be trusted, noting that the people own the police.
His words; “Policing is the bedrock of the society, not necessarily at any levels but the structures of the Nigerian Police Force is made in a way to have seamless operations.
“The centre of policing is the people. If you minus the people from policing you won’t achieve an accomplished agenda.
“The Zone is not necessarily a first respondent, is to provide guidance and supervision. I want to assure the people of Bayelsa and Rivers States, they are going to witness a new dimension in policing, anchored on community policing and engagement, driven by the IGP’s policing objectives.
“We must all come together to serve this country. Policing is the centre of the people. We must create partnership, we must engage the people, in solving problems anchored on partnership.
“Nigerian Police is there to serve. The zone is to provide direction and supervision.”
A press statement signed by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Ikwo Lafieghe, said that AIG Awunah was commissioned into the Nigeria Police Force as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in March 1988.
He has held several positions in all strata of the force, amongst them were: Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States respectively, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Contingent Commander of Nigeria Peace Keeping Contingent to East Timo-Lest, Pioneer Community Policing Officer in Nigeria, among others.
The new AIG was the Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos before his posting as the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) in charge of Zone 16 Yenagoa. He has served the police for thirty three (33) years.
A Fellow of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (fnipr), a Fellow of Security (fsi) and member of the National Institute (mni).
