RIVERS RE-RUN: Nobody can accuse Police of complicity —IGP

ABAKALIKI—THE Nigerian Police Force yesterday debunked insinuations in some quarters that it aided the violent attacks and disruption of the electoral process that took place during the last rerun election in Rivers State. In a chat with newsmen during his one day working visit to Ebonyi State Police Command, Abakaliki, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase emphasized
that nobody can accuse the Nigerian police of complicity or conniving with any person or group of persons to cause mayhem during the election.

According to him, it is not the police that ignites violence but the political class. “What we did was to secure the environment and allow law abiding citizens to go and cast their votes; so it has nothing to do with the police but the political class”. On the issue of communal clashes between Ebonyi State and its neighbouring states like Benue and Cross River states, the Inspector General of Police urged the parties involved to learn to live together as the police was not resting on its oars to ensure the protection of lives and properties in the affected communities. In a welcome address, the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State police command, CP Peace Ibekwe Abdallah who appreciated the IGP for his visit to the command noted that all the crime indices in the state have assumed a downward trend following the command’s usage of intelligence- driven crime combating strategies. “A comparative analysis of major crimes recorded in 2015 (Jan-sept. 2015) and the last quarter of 2015/1st quarter of 2016 (sept,2015 to March 2016) indicate a drastic reduction in crime wave in all the Division and Area commands of the State. “In addition, stronger working relationship established particularly between the police command and other security agencies as well as other stakeholders such as the Judiciary, Nigerian Bar Association and the Press, contributed immensely to success recorded in all frontiers of crime fighting”. About Eleven Police Officers of the Ebonyi state Police command got automatic promotion for various outstanding performances during the Inspector- General of Police, Solomon Arase’s one day working visit in the state. Ten of the beneficiaries were the centry- men that mounted Guard during the IGP’s visit while another Police Corporal was promoted and decorated immediately by the IGP for presenting a proposal for Police Data collation in the country. Arase also offered automatic scholarship to the son of a late Police Officer and JSS three student, Oluwasesan Abiodun, for composing and reciting a poem, he titled “the Nigeria Police”.