New AIG promises to reposition FCID, Alagbon

By Chioma Joseph, Lagos

The Assistant-Inspector-General (AIG) of Police in- charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) annex, Alagbon Close, Lagos, Murtala Mani has promised to reposition the unit for better performance.

Mani, who is the new sheriff in- charge of the annex said, aside from the renovation works done to give the annex a befitting look, the forensic laboratory has also been refurbished to serve its purpose.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, the AIG said the inspector-general of police has made conscious efforts to trim down the number of officers at the formation to ensure adequate supervision and also promote professionalism.

According to him, the new leadership is set to restore the lost glory of the formation, adding that “there is need for us to tell the world what the police are doing, especially under the leadership of IGP Mohammed Adamu, so that the confidence we are trying to build in the minds of the people can be restored.

“This is one of the reason why the IGP felt there was need for a very senior officer to take over the leadership of the annex; firstly, to sanitize the place and secondly, to as much as possible make the place regain its lost glory and that is what we are doing.

“When I came in, I discovered there is a need to revive what we used to know as the then Alagbon Close. It is the apex of the Nigeria police investigation and any officer posted here surely must answer its name. Those days, not just any officer was posted here; you must have the wealth of experience needed to act and perform your duties, you must have served in the police for at least 15 years.

“This is why the IGP has trimmed the number of officers here, he transferred some of them to the state commands, so that the little we have, we can do checks and balances. That is why we have a very vibrant section. We want the public to know that we are here for them.

“On the forensic laboratory, we know it is key and the IGP and his deputy have special interest in it; they are keen about the operation. We have refurbished the place and it is back to normal operation because it is a very sensitive place.”

Mani also revealed that the annex will henceforth, handle cases that cannot be investigated at the state command level, saying “ I have had to refer about 30 to 40 cases back to the state commands. If the state commands can handle a case, I send it to them.”