DIG Holds Stakeholders Engagement Meeting In Ebonyi As Stakeholders Decry Poor Manpower, Intelligence Reports

By Alex Odeh, Pan Afric Reporters

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, has held a strategic security meeting with stakeholders in Ebonyi State in order to foster collaboration, build trust and enhance security within the length and breath of Ebonyi State.

Speaking during the strategic security meeting held at the Police Officers’ Mess at the Command’s Headquarters, which was 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 the DIGs to engage critical stakeholders from their zones.

According to him, security situation in Ebonyi State reflects killing resulting from land disputes, issues around youths reprisal attacks, violence associated with the activities of persons that are involved in herding cattle, murders with families (domestic murders)

Others include issues around child trafficking and child abuse, robberies on the highways, attack on schools and also protest by communities targeting the police.

He, however, said that the Federal Government is aware of the challenges faced by police force in the country, and it is tacking it 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 a 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 are not having anything logistics to cope with internal security. The police is seriously lacking manpower and that is what is causing the problem in Nigeria Police.

“Sometimes you will go to Police, they will ask you of writing materials. The police is in a painful situation. In those days, we use 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 police 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 said.

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 carry out their primary responsibility of protecting lives of the citizens.

Nwakpa Luios, who made the call on the backdrop of increasing case 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 15th of this month, a syndicate of armed gang men, came into the market in the night. They were numbering more than 14 of them, and my local vigilante 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 of which I have published it 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 handicap. They cannot do their work effectively because they lack the facilities. Something should be done to that issue or other policemen drafted to that area to help the police to tackle the menace. They broke into shops, cart-way goods and kill livestock belonging to people”, he said.