Lagos, May 1 (IANS): Nigeria's Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase has said 359 policemen were killed on duty between January 2014 and April 2016.
Speaking at a lecture in University of Jos on Saturday, the police chief said 272 policemen sustained various degrees of injuries within the same period, Xinhua news agency reported.
He said that the casualties occurred while intervening in civil conflicts, noting that police officers paid the supreme price to enhance community peace and security in the country.
The killing of police personnel had steadily been on the rise since 2009 due to terrorist attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, he added.
According to him, police personnel required diverse skills to tackle modern crimes, especially since criminal elements are arming themselves with more sophisticated weapons.