.As Obigwe dismisses claims of financial inducements by Gov. Soludo
Phil Okose, Onitsha
Barely 10 days to the long awaited Anambra state gubernatorial election billed for 8 November, the state Commissioner of Police at the weekend, during his familiarization tour of Ogidi Police Area Command, read the riot Act to the state vigilante operatives, Agunechemba.
Sounding a note of warning to them with respect to the election, he said they should steer clear of the polling booths and can only come to vote and leave after voting as their services are not needed at the polling arena.
He described the security outfit as a child of circumstance born out of necessity disclosing that the outfit has now been properly groomed and trained by the police to understand the dos and donts.
“You re not created to assault anybody, don’t abuse your power, people need you as they need the police, you don’t have power to detain a suspect more than as required by law, you are to hand over to the police.
If you take the law into your hand definitely you will be sanctioned,” he further warned.
“I don’t even as a police officer arrest a suspect and slap or keep him in my house but in police facility. Even civilians have right to arrest a suspect and hand over to the police,” he revealed.
The Police Commissioner lamented the setting ablaze of police stations/facilities in the Southeast zone by unknown gunmen maintaining that in every 10 policemen killed, eight to nine must be related to the Southeast people either as children, brothers, cousins, or in-laws.
“Southeast is the only place police stations are set ablaze, it is only in the Southeast that somebody will be angry and burn police station.
If you kill 10 policemen, eight to nine of them are related to you. They may be your children, cousins, etc.
“Mothers are no longer in control of their children, encourage your children, relation to join police. To stop illegal activities like cultism, Yahoo and other criminal activities because one day they will be caught,” he advised.
Contributing, the chairman of Idemili North local Government area, Chief Stanley Nkwoka, expressed satisfaction with the CP’s visit adding that he elaborated the challenges confronting the local government and the state and solutions.
He commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo, police Commissioner, military, and other sister security agencies for their relentless efforts in crime fighting disclosing that the crime rate has been drastically reduced to zero tolerance.
His words, “This 2025 gubernatorial election that we are preparing for, there is peaceful atmosphere as security is put in place.
In 2021 you dare not even campaign anywhere in the state as we are going for election. Now, with the efforts of police, Udogachi security outfit, military and others, security that eluded the state has been restored,.
I call on voter’s to ensure they vote for Soludo’s second tenure to continue his good work in the state,” Nkwoka pleaded.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Ogidi Police Area Commander, Emmanuel Ogbuanya, (ACP) while thanking the CP for his visit, listed the challenges confronting the command to include, lack of personnel, operational vehicles, and accommodation.
Ogbuanya reminded the police commissioner that these items are most needed now that the gubernatorial election is around the corner adding that they will be of immense assistance.
An Ogidi based legal practitioner, Barr. Pat Agbata, lauded the CP for his visit and assured that in no distant time the accommodation issue of the command will be a thing of the past.
Among those that graced the occasion included, leader of Idemili North council area, Hon. Samuel Anikpe, 2ic to the Ogidi Police Area Commander, Mr. Emeka Obi, (CSP), DPO Ogidi Police Station, Frank Amobi, (CSP), chairman Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra state, Comr Vincent Ezekwueme, among others.
