The Nigeria Police Force said it has lost 389 personnel in the fight against Boko Haram in the past 11 years while 450 others sustained various degrees of injuries for the same period.
The Commissioner, of Borno State Police Command, CP Abdu Umar, who revealed this, also said over 24 police barracks and 30 stations were razed or destroyed since 2011 when the fight against the terrorist group started.
He added that several pieces of fighting equipment were carted away or destroyed by the terrorists.
Umar made this known on Saturday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Police Station and barracks at Beneshiek, headquarters of Kaga Local Government Area of Borno state.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, inaugurated the edifice as part of his working visit to the state.
Umar said: “It will be recalled that at the height of the insurgency, precisely between 2011 and today, over 30 Police Stations/Formations and 24 Police Barracks were burnt or destroyed by the insurgents.
“Three hundred and eighty-nine policemen lost their lives, over 450 policemen injured, while several crime-fighting pieces of equipment were carted away or burnt.
“The losses suffered by the Police Command in the state attracted numerous interventions amongst which we are witnessing one of such interventions today.”
Umar commended the IGP for his interventions towards providing a conducive working environment and bringing the service of the police closer to the people, adding that the command would ensure proper utilization of the facilities for maximum results.
In his remarks, IGP Alkali reiterated his commitment to the improved welfare of the police and tasked them with good maintenance culture.
He thanked the state government for its sustained support to the police and urged the people to embrace community policing by supporting the police with credible information on suspicious persons and movements in their localities.