Police forensic units will reduce crime – Expert

From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

A renowned security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has called on the police hierarchy to set up a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit in each police area command to improve criminal investigation.

The units, according to him, will ensure successful detection and prosecution of perpetrators of violent crimes such as kidnapping, assassination, bombing and fraud.

Dr. Ekhomu said, “The CSI unit will conduct crime scene searches, scene sketches, evidence markings, crime scene photography, and the collection of physical evidence with appropriate chain of custody protocols adhered to.

“It will also be responsible for the search and collection of physical evidence at crime scenes. These items of physical evidence include blood evidence, fingerprint dusting in search of latent prints, hair and fibre evidence, bullet casings, guns and knives, tools and inspection of bodies and any other physical evidence of probative value at the crime scene.”

This is contained in a new book entitled: ‘Kidnap – Face to Face with Death’ written by the first chartered security professional in West Africa, Dr. Ekhomu.

The book is an incredible narrative of Ekhomu’s encounter with kidnappers and how he narrowly escaped death from an AK47 fire.

In the book, which has been described as a seminal contribution to security awareness and public safety in Nigeria, Ekhomu x-rayed the criminal investigation structure and practice as conducted by the police, the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Joint Military Task Force on the investigation of his shooting and concluded that it was substandard.

According to book, forensic analysis is totally absent at crime scenes and that the present criminal investigation structure and process activities may not be able to resolve violent crimes.

In addition, the book, which will be presented to the public on November 28 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, provides a step-by-step guide on how to avoid falling victim of profit kidnap.

It provides hostage survival tips for persons who have been seized given the penchant of Nigerian kidnappers to kill their hostages in order to avoid detection.