TheCable

Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), says he is troubled by the security challenges confronting the country.

He said this and his experience as a police officer inspired him to write a book titled ‘Security and justice: The pathway for peace and reconciliation in Nigeria’.

Idris said this on Thursday while addressing journalists after the public presentation of the book in Lagos.

He said he had watched “with troubled heart” the challenges of Boko Haram, kidnapping, armed robbery and militancy being faced in various states in the country, and that for there to be a democratic government, peace must be instilled in the society.

“My experience as a police officer over the years in Nigeria, with the United Nations headquarters in New York, peacekeeping operations in other countries and above all as the IGP has taught me that internal peace is a pivotal element for instituting and sustaining democratic government,” he said.

“That justice is most needed as an instrument of reconciliation and conflict management and that the role of the judiciary and security agencies in dispensing justice is imperative in ensuring peace in any country.”

The IGP also said progress is being made in addressing herdsmen-related killings in the country.

“The challenges we are having with this herdsmen have gone down,” he said, adding: “In Benue, we have 15 units on ground and I have been monitoring their successes,” he said.

He expressed the readiness of the police to ensure a peaceful election in 2019.