Babcock University renews PCRC partnership, deploys drones for community security
- Babcock University has renewed its partnership with the Police Community Relations Committee, Zone 2, on community safety.
- The vice-chancellor said the school has bought four high-altitude drones and already put them to use.
- The PCRC chairman asked the university to back the new Ikenne Area Command and train committee members.
Babcock University in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has restated its commitment to keeping its host communities safe, renewing its working relationship with the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Zone 2.
The university's President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Afolarin Ojewole, made the commitment on Friday while hosting a 15-member PCRC team led by its chairman, Dr Kunle Popoola, at the institution.
Ojewole said the school cannot be safe while the towns around it are not, and called for closer ties between schools, security agencies and residents.
Drones already in use
He said Babcock has bought four high-altitude drones that can climb to 30,000 metres and watch a radius of 40 kilometres beyond the campus. The equipment has already been deployed, he said, and will be available to support joint security operations with agencies and host communities.
The vice-chancellor also praised the PCRC for helping the police gather information and for building trust between officers and the public.
He said the university is ready to work out how to deepen the partnership, including training through its School of Law and Security Studies and its Executive Education programmes, and to keep talking with the committee on areas of support, including health facilities.
Popoola thanked Babcock for its steady backing of the Nigeria Police Force. He pointed to the university's medical facility, which he said helped save the life of a Divisional Police Officer wounded in Ijebu Waterside.
He asked for more help for the newly established Ikenne Area Command and for regular training for PCRC members so they can do more in community policing.
The PCRC chairman also invited Ojewole to serve as the committee's patron. The vice-chancellor said he would consider the request promptly and repeated the university's willingness to support efforts that improve security and police-community relations.
What happens next
The two sides are expected to keep talking to agree on the details of the partnership, including training programmes and support for the new area command. For residents of Ilishan-Remo and nearby towns, the practical question is whether the drones and the closer police-community ties translate into faster response and calmer streets.
