•As New Rivers CP parades 4 kidnapping, armed robbery suspects
Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt
The Nigerian Police Force, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), on Wednesday commissioned a one-storey building for Complaints Response Units, CRU, office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The Complaint Response Unit, which was refurbished and equipped with basic office infrastructure and ICT equipments, was commissioned by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, inside the Rivers State Police headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
IGP Egbetokun, represented by the newly deployed Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in-charge of Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, AIG Adebola Hamzat said the CRU is aimed at strengthening the oversight and accountability mechanisms of the Nigerian Police Force.
The IGP at the event, restated his administration’s stance against acts of extortion and corruption among police officers, noting that impunity, extortion and other human right abuses defame the force. He added that the police would continue to train its men to make their job efficient.
He said the CRU, funded by the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, will create a conducive platform of interaction between the police and the public, particularly on unprofessional conducts of the officers.
“We are echoing it that there is zero-tolerance for extortion, there is zero-tolerance for corruption and we do not take it where people whose monies are used to pay your salaries are the ones to suffer unnecessary tension, unnecessary impunity from police officers.
“We have had causes to go round to give training and we’ll continue to improve on what we have on ground to make the police meet the expectation of the public we serve,” he said.
He urged members of the public to take advantage of the CRU, explaining that it will afford them an opportunity to make complaints and seek redress as individuals and groups against police misconducts and human rights abuses.
The Police Chief who commended the donors of the CRU for their support to the force added that the CRU will also enhance police-community collaboration and build confidence with members of the public.
“I acknowledge the efforts of all the international donors who made this a reality. We also thank you for giving effective partnership to the police.
“This is an era of community policing. The Nigerian Police Force cannot do it alone but with sister agencies, and not just that, policing is not all government affairs, that’s why we collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure a safe society,” he said.
The IGP however, appealed to the public to supply the police with information, stressing that the police would also show transparency so as to get cooperation from the public.
In her remark, the Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, Muchanetta Mundapahi, said the official commissioning of the CRU represents a crucial step forward in their collective efforts to enhance transparency, accountability and integrity within the Nigerian Police Force.
She lauded the IGP’s directive to establish the CRU across the 36 states commands and the FCT, stating that it highlights the commitment of the force to foster accountability and transparency amongst officers.
Earlier, in his address, the new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Bala, welcomed the new AIG on his maiden visit to Rivers State.
He pledged the police’s commitment in collaborating with communities via the traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders in fighting crime in the state.
CP Bala hinted that the inauguration of the CRU marks a new era where the police would reaffirm her commitment to deal thoroughly with unprofessional conduct including extortion, harassment, prolonged detention of suspects, police brutality, gratification and extortion amongst officers.
He said, “As we move forward, let us continue to work together, I’m for justice and we want to assure you that we are going to serve justice. Everything we do under my watch as the commissioner of police, I will ensure that justice is not only done but to be seen as done in the eyes of the common man.”
The event was attended by the representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), NLC representatives, the Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, Religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, Students and representatives of different youths groups in the state.
In another development, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Mustapha Bala on Wednesday, paraded three notorious kidnappers and armed robbery suspects terrorizing the Port Harcourt-Owerri Expressway.
CP Bala, while briefing Journalists in his office said, the suspects; Blessing Akpelu, Precious Ebee, and Wisdom Oto Amadi, all natives of Egbeda Community in Emohua LGA, were arrested for a series of armed robbery kidnappings including a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and two others, along the Port Harcourt-Owerri road.
He said the gang was known for setting roadblocks at strategic points along the expressway to trap motorists at gunpoint and taking hostages for ransom.
CP Mustapha revealed that the first two suspects were arrested on October 17, 2024, while Wisdom Amadi, identified as the gang leader, was arrested at Egbeda on October 19, 2024.
The Police Commissioner further disclosed that in a separate operation, the police arrested one Barida Berebon, suspected to be a notorious armed robber, and recovered a vehicle, arms, and ammunition. The suspect, Berebon, was arrested with an SMG Rifle used to rob an NYSC member.
He said further investigations are ongoing to arrest the remaining accomplices and assured that they would be charged to court at the end of investigation.
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