Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Cornelius Kayode Aderanti has resumed duty as the 19th Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1, Kano command.
Before his redeployment, Aderanti was the AIG in charge of Zone 2, Lagos and takes over from AIG Adamu Ibrahim, who has since been redeployed to take over Zone 2, Lagos.
One of the topical security and policing issues which the new AIG is expected to confront is the on-going speculations among residents of Kano of a possible penetration into the state of members of the Boko-Haram terrorist group dislodged from the North East part of the country.
It has been a usual occurrence in the past for members of the Islamist group to plan attacks on particularly the Christian minority residential settlements in the metropolitan district when preparations are on for the celebration of Easter or Christmas.
Boko-Haram has not hidden its intention to focus its attacks on religious worship centres, such as Churches, and Mosques, as well as other soft targets used for relaxation like hotels, across the state.
Although the capacity of the group to carry out coordinated attacks has been heavily degraded by the military, there is a common belief among the residents that the group was still capable of launching attacks on the state.
In what seems to be preemptive measure to avert any possible attack by the group on targets in the state, Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, last Monday 10th of April, donated 16 units of brand new operational vehicles to security agencies, to enhance visible patrol of the state.
Before the recent donation of the new operational vehicles, the security agencies had been complaining about their inability to carry out patrols due to logistic problems, which include break down of patrol vehicles, as well as inability to purchase fuel to operate the few operational vehicles that were still motor-able, in addition to inability to pay monthly stipends of operational personnel.
Some personnel who spoke with BDSUNDAY said that since the beginning of this year, money has not been made available by the Federal Government for counter insurgency operations, because of the prolonged delay in passing the 2017 Budget.
It was in its bid to scale up policing in the state that the leadership of the Nigeria Police has effected the transfer of a new AIG of police to take charge of the zone 1 command which covers Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states.
The new AIG Aderanti, who was moved to the state from Lagos, said during an interaction with journalists, that men of his new zonal command is scaling up partnership with JTF, and the local vigilante groups to unmask the identity of Boko-Haram suspects believed to be infiltrating the state.
Aderanti, who hails from Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, studied Sociology at the University of Ibadan after which he joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1984.
His other previous postings include Deputy Defence Adviser (Police) Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations; Head Interpol Abuja; Director of Peace Keeping Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja; CP Ports Authority Police (PAP) Western Ports; CP Lagos Command amongst others.
AIG Aderanti, who was a member of Senior Executive Course 38, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos is happily married with children.
Aderanti, while addressed journalists after inspecting the guard of honour at the command headquarters expressed satisfaction with the policing architecture he met on ground in the zone.
