The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a nationwide tightening of security ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, directing all police commands to significantly increase surveillance and protection across worship centres, highways and major public spaces across the country.

The directive places counter-terrorism operatives, bomb disposal units, intelligence teams and mobile police formations on full alert as part of efforts to ensure a peaceful and incident free Yuletide period for Nigerians.

In line with the order, police personnel have been strategically deployed to churches, mosques, motor parks, markets, recreational centers, hotels and other high traffic locations.

Major highways and interstate routes are also under intensified patrol to curb robbery, kidnapping and other crimes often associated with increased festive movement.

Specialised units including the Counter Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, Police Mobile Force, Highway Patrol, Marine Police and the Airwing have been directed to maintain round the clock operational readiness and rapid response capability to any emerging security threat.

The Inspector General further instructed Commissioners of Police across the states to strengthen intelligence driven operations, conduct visible and proactive patrols and deepen collaboration with other security agencies, community leaders and relevant stakeholders to identify and neutralize potential threats before they escalate.

Police authorities explained that the enhanced security measures are aimed at protecting lives and property, deterring criminal activities and ensuring that citizens can worship, travel and celebrate the festive season without fear or disruption.

Members of the public have also been urged to remain vigilant, cooperate with security operatives and promptly report suspicious persons, movements or objects to the nearest police station or designated emergency lines.

With the comprehensive security deployment now in place, the Nigeria Police Force has assured Nigerians of its commitment to maintaining law and order and delivering a safe, peaceful and secure Yuletide celebration nationwide.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended birthday congratulations to Mrs Cecilia Adebisi Ugowe, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, as she marks her 90th birthday today.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy indicates that the President celebrates Cecilia Ugowe as a pioneering figure whose service to the Nigeria Police Force helped broaden opportunities for women and strengthen professionalism at a time when policing was overwhelmingly male-dominated.

Mrs Cecilia Ugowe broke the ceiling throughout her career in the police. In 1968, she became a Deputy Superintendent of Police, a rare feat for a woman at the time. She was the first female Commissioner of Police (CP), the first female Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), and the first woman to hold the position of Force Secretary.

“As she marks this significant milestone, I commend her lifetime of service and wish her continued good health, peace, and fulfillment”, the President says.

Veteran gospel musician, Pa Nweze Edmund Echendu, has shared deep revelation and cultural insights into destiny and spiritual calling. He made comparisons between the Igbo Agwu and divine calling to be gospel minister.

According to Pa Nweze, in Igbo land, Agwu represents a spiritual mantle or ancestral calling that runs in certain families. He explained that when such a calling exists in a lineage, an individual chosen to bear it cannot thrive in life until the mantle is accepted and embraced.

“In Igbo land, there is what we call Agwu. Anybody it is meant for in a family is expected to take up that mantle,” he said. “Even if the person goes to work at the World Bank, he will not be successful until he comes back to answer that call.”

Pa Nweze likened this traditional belief to the Christian understanding of divine calling, noting that a person called by God into ministry may also struggle in life until they obey and answer that call.

He further shared his personal experience as a testimony of destiny alignment. Before venturing into music, the gospel singer said he was engaged in the transportation business, a venture that ended in repeated losses.

“Before I started music, I did transportation business, but I didn’t succeed in it. All my buses were destroyed on the road,” he recounted.

Following these setbacks, Pa Nweze said he began to experience recurring dreams that revealed his true calling. According to him, people appeared to him in dreams, telling him he was destined to be a musician.

In one particularly striking experience, he said he saw birds singing to him in his dream.
“That was how I knew that music is my destiny,” he said.