The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Usaini Gumel, has described the report making the rounds that the Kano State Police Command has recruited criminals into the police force as a malicious and calculated attempt by some elements to disparage its image.
Gumel, who spoke with journalists in his office yesterday in Kano, faulted a report by an online medium that the command was training constabularies at a training school within Kano Command and wondered when and where the state command built a training school.
He described the story as not only malicious but a calculated attempt to destroy the reputable image of Kano State Police Command.
Putting the record straight, Gumel explained that Mr. Nasiru Abdullahi, who was described as a criminal by the online news platform, is among the 222 repentant influential youths in Kano granted amnesty by the state government.
He said that the Governor of Kano State, Mr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, directed that the repentant influential youths, who were used as tools in the hands of disgruntled politicians and other enemies of the state, should be properly profiled and reformed.
According to him, out of the 222 influential youths, 50 volunteered to help the police in fighting crime and criminal activities of which Nasiru Abdullahi was among them.
He said: “I am aware that the Sahara Reporters has no correspondent or reporter here in Kano. They have not been following our events. I am rather surprised how and where they are getting such fake news.”
According to him, “the very report credited to Sahara Reporters is not only malicious but laughable. All the 222 influential youths who surrendered themselves were properly profiled.
“The Governor, His Excellency, Abba Kabir Yusuf, who already gave them amnesty, directed us to profile them and find out where they can fit in for skills acquisition and human empowerment.
“Out of the 222 influential youths, 50 of them volunteered to help the police in fighting crime and criminal activities in the state. Nasiru Abdullahi is one of them.”
He pointed out that further investigations indicated that Nasiru Abdullahi has no criminal records in any court of law, “and I challenge anybody to go and verify this fact.
“Unfortunately, some people are hell-bent on tarnishing the image and reputation of the Nigerian Police, but they will not succeed. The command will remain committed to protecting the lives and property of the residents.
“We appeal to the public to disregard such reports. The general public should continue to have confidence in the commitment of the Kano State Police Command to keep protecting lives and property in the state.
“I urged Kano residents to continue to live in peace and harmony and keep providing useful information on suspicious movements of persons and items.
“The police in Kano have mapped out a community-led comprehensive security network that will sustain our efforts in flushing out criminal elements in the state.”
