Posted by By DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi on
For the people of Nnewi in Anambra State, the visit by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 9, Mr Olusegun Efuntayo, on a familiarization tour of the Police commands in the state was a good opportunity for them to protect their traditional ruler from the hands of kidnappers who have been constituting a nightmare to people living in the East.
For the people of Nnewi in Anambra State, the visit by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 9, Mr Olusegun Efuntayo, on a familiarization tour of the Police commands in the state was a good opportunity for them to protect their traditional ruler from the hands of kidnappers who have been constituting a nightmare to people living in the East.
Efuntayo had come to the palace of Igwe Nnewi, His Royal Highness, Igwe Kenneth Orizu III while concluding his two-day familiarization tour of Anambra State Police and Nnewi Police Area commands.
The Igwe-in-council of the palace had told the visiting AIG that the rate of kidnapping in Nnewi demands that their traditional ruler be protected by security men.
This request was granted by the Zone 9 police boss as he ordered the immediate replacement of Igwe Orizu's police orderly.
Efuntayo also charged traditional rulers in Anambra State to work in concert with the police to fish out criminals within their domains.
The AIG noted that the issue of kidnapping in Nnewi and some other places in Anambra State is a new phenomenon in that part of the country, adding that kidnappers would find it difficult to succeed without an insider who collaborates with them. He insisted that the traditional rulers are in a position to know who is who among their subjects and so should be able to give the police useful information that would help them check criminal activities.
He said that Nnewi will remain the Japan of Africa people a it and investment friendly if criminal activities are brought to the barest minimum.
He said that the essence of his visit to Anambra was to see the way he could strengthen the police command to enhance its performance so that members of the police force would live up to their responsibilities with the combined effort of the stakeholders in the state.
The AIG expressed gratitude to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State for providing patrol vans and communication gadgets to the police in the state which he said would immensely help them to discharge their duties effectively.
Responding, Igwe Orizu III through a spokesman in the palace, Prince Anene Nwosu complained to the AIG that cases which are supposed to be handled by the Divisional Police Officers in charge of various police stations within the zone or handled by the Area Commanders are taken to Umuahia without recourse to these police stations.
But the police AIG told the Igwe and his cabinet members that he reads a lot of petitions from his area of operation. 'I read up to 50 petitions a day. And when you refer them to the DPOs in the area they came from, they would rather go to Abuja. They will not tell you the truth. They will say they have seen the DPO,' the AIG disclosed.
Earlier, at Nnewi Area Command, the Area Commander, Mr D.P. Yakadi had requested for an increase in the strength of police force in the area command which covers 13divisions.
'When we assumed office in 2006, the strength of Nnewi Area Command was 1,500. Today, we are having slightly above 1,000. Some of our brothers who were transferred to other parts of the country are yet to be replaced. And I want the AIG to take note of this,' Yakadi said.
He assured the AIG that the police in Nnewi area command would remain dedicated to their duties.
The area commander told the AIG who is only three months old at Zone 9 that when he assumed office, crime rate was relatively high, saying 'but now it is drastically reduced and we promise you that we will maintain the tempo.'
In an address of welcome, members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Nnewi Area Command under the chairmanship of Hon M.O.C. Okanu appealed to the AIG to use his good offices to influence the increase in welfare package of the police.
The committee members said that they were handling building projects at police headquarters, Awka and Central Police Station, Nnewi, respectively to ease accommodation problem for the police.