By Usman Walin Gungura, Bauchi
In his determination to fight crime and criminality, the Bauchi State Police Command has pleaded with the Federal Government to urgently add more personnel and logistics to deal with the rising banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.
The CP, Sani-Omolori Aliyu made the appeal Thursday during a welcome address at a stakeholders’ engagement at the Command’s Headquarters in Bauchi.
The Bauchi Police boss informed that the presence of senior police management at the stakeholders engagement showed Inspector-General of Police IGP’s commitment to assessing operations and supporting commands facing evolving security threats.
He said the command, created in 1976, now operates five Area Commands in Bauchi, Toro, Azare, Ningi and Misau, with 38 divisions, 126 outposts and 17 village posts across the state’s difficult terrain.
He said, to curb crime, the command has deployed the state-funded Violent Crime Response Unit, Rapid Response Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, 10 PMF Special Protection Unit, Counter-Terrorism Unit and State Intelligence Department.
Despite the structure, Aliyu identified manpower shortage as the major operational hindrance limiting rapid response.
He also listed logistics gaps, including more arms and ammunition, patrol vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, motorcycles for forests such as Dajin Madam, Yankari and Lame-Burra, plus surveillance drones, number-plate-recognition CCTV and upgraded communication gadgets.
The CP also said the command recorded significant achievements between January and May 2026, attributing officers diligence and community support.
He pledged to sustain community-based policing and urged residents to continue collaborating to bridge resource gaps.
In his keynote address, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Zachariah Fera Achinyan said the Bauchi Command was established to serve residents, not officers, and reaffirmed that police operations must remain within constitutional limits.
The DIG who is in charge of Force Intelligence Department (FID) and Coordinating DIG, North-East Geopolitical Zone, recalled that the Bauchi State Police Command was sited in Bauchi not for the police personnel but for the civilian population.
“The police are a creation of the constitution and must operate within the law,” he said.
“Any officer who deviates from constitutional standards is not a professional. Professionalism means playing by the rules and the oath of office you swore to,” the DIG added.
He noted that every recruit swears to an oath to uphold Nigeria’s laws at graduation and assured that the Force would not take stakeholders’ support for granted.
