The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department, Zachariah Achinyan, has called on residents of Borno State to actively support ongoing security operations by providing timely and reliable information to the police, assuring that the identities of informants will remain strictly protected.
He made the appeal during an operational and community engagement visit to Maiduguri, the state capital, alongside the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Research and Planning, Zango Baba.
Achinyan stressed that effective policing depends largely on collaboration between security agencies and members of the public, noting that community intelligence remains central to tackling insecurity.
“As stakeholders, the police cannot work without you because we need each other,” he said. “It is because of this singular reason that the Inspector-General has asked me to meet you all so that we can rub minds and shoulders together with a view to policing this state.”
He warned that without credible information from residents, security agencies face limitations in effectively responding to threats, adding that communities remain the most reliable source of actionable intelligence.
The DIG further urged the strengthening of community-based informant networks across Borno State, observing that criminal elements often operate within local communities rather than from outside them.
Reassuring residents on confidentiality, he said all information provided would be handled with strict discretion to ensure informants are not exposed.
“The information you give us, we will use it in a confidential manner, and in such a way that nothing will be traced to you,” he said, adding that “if you give the police valuable information, you are not only helping yourselves but your entire community.”
He also called for increased vigilance among residents, particularly in monitoring suspicious movements and unfamiliar individuals, reiterating the policing principle that “if you see something, say something.”