June 19 (THEWILL) — The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, has held a strategic security meeting with stakeholders in Ebonyi State to foster collaboration, build trust and enhance security within the length and breadth of the state.
Speaking during the strategic security meeting held at the Police Officers’ Mess at the Command’s Headquarters, attended by traditional rulers, Chief Security Officers (CSOs) of various communities, religious leaders, political office holders and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said it was the directive of the Inspector General of Police for DIGs to engage critical stakeholders from their zones.
According to him, the security situation in Ebonyi State reflects killings resulting from land disputes, issues around youths’ reprisal attacks, violence associated with the activities of persons that are involved in herding cattle, and murders within families (domestic murders).
Others include issues around child trafficking and child abuse, robberies on the highways, attacks on schools and also protests by communities targeting the police.
He, however, said that the Federal Government is aware of the challenges faced by the police force in the country, and is tackling them within available resources, adding that last week the House of Representatives moved to amend the police trust fund to make 1% of the budget at every tier of government as support to the police.
Meanwhile, while speaking, the traditional ruler of the Okposi Autonomous Community, Eze Onyiba Cosmas Agwu, lamented the absence of facilities, including writing materials, operational vehicles and manpower in various Police Divisional Headquarters across the state.
“The police do not have any logistics to cope with internal security. The police are seriously lacking manpower, and that is what is causing the problem in Nigeria Police.
“Sometimes you will go to the police, they will ask you for writing materials. The police are in a painful situation. In those days, we used to have standby policemen in every division, but these days, they will tell you there is no manpower.
“It is affecting the rural areas when complainants go to complain, they will tell you they have no vehicles, no manpower and writing materials”, he observed.
Eze Onyiba Cosmas Agwu also appealed to the Nigerian police to immediately rise against the rampant killings of traditional rulers in the country by providing traditional rulers with police for the security of their lives.
“I will urge or suggest that every traditional ruler be given one policeman to stay in his palace or follow him wherever he is going. The issue of killing is becoming too alarming. Even yesterday in my area, we averted a situation that would have resulted in killing”, he stated.
Moreover, a market leader from Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nwakpa Luios, also urged the Nigerian Police to adequately equip its men to enable them to carry out their primary responsibility of protecting the lives of residents.
Nwakpa Luios, who made the call on the backdrop of increasing cases of theft of livestock and burglary in the market at Onueke, disclosed that on the 15th of June, armed men stormed the market, and every effort made to reach out to the police proved abortive because they lack manpower and other facilities to respond to emergencies.
He said, “There is a kind of criminality going on there. On the 15th of this month, a syndicate of armed men came into the market in the night. There were more than 14 of them, and my local vigilantes were calling me, telling me that these men were here and what can they do about it. They took refuge somewhere and were watching what they were doing.
“They started these activities this year, which I have published in the newspaper. The one that happened on the 15th of this month, I called the DPO, and he said he was helpless. I called on the area commander, and she did not pick my calls.
“The DPO advised me to write to the commissioner of police asking for more men, and that their vehicle is not in order. I think all these things need to have an improvement to help the police do their work.
“My submission is that the police in my area are handicapped. They cannot do their work effectively because they lack the facilities. Something should be done about that issue, or other policemen should be drafted to that area to help the police tackle the menace. They broke into shops, carted away goods and killed livestock belonging to people”, he said.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
