By:Owolola Adebola
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, approved the establishment of five additional Police Zonal Commands, in a re-organisation execise, raising the number to 17 zones.
It was reliably learnt that, the force Zonal structure begins from zone 1 and ends in zone 17.
This coincides a change in the status of the commandants of the four existing police colleges who have been elevated to the rank of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, AIG.
Untill now, the police Colleges commandants were Commissioners of Police.
The five newly created commands are, Ondo/Ekiti command with headquarters at Akure; Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi with headquarters in Ukpodunukofia in Akwa- Ibom state.
Others are Balyelsa/Rivers command with headquarters in Yenogoa; Katsina, Kaduna with headquarters in Katsina, Yobe and Borno command with headquarters in Maiduguri.
Inside sourced at the Louis Feet House, Force HQs Abuja hinted that,the re-organisation of the force is not only in line with the principle of community policing, but also to combat crime and criminality nationwide.
In a related development, the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, has been decentralised with the Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, now separated from FCID.
FIB will now be headed by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG).