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From Ben Dunno, Warri
Delta state Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, has allayed the fear of police dispositions to a particular ethnic group in the area, noting that the Nigeria Police Force was established for the purpose of serving and protecting the interest of every law abiding citizens, irrespective of the ethnic groups they belong in the state.
Giving the assurance in his goodwill message to the Stakeholders at the Area Command office, Warri, yesterday during his ongoing familiarization tour of units under his Command, CP Abaniwonda, urged the residents to have confidence in the ability of the police force to maintaining law and order in their domains, regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds.
While urging residents to discountenance the rumor of one ethnic group using its influence to hijack or control its operatives to its advantage, the Police boss reiterated the neutrality of men and officers under his Command to carrying out their duties with due diligence in accordance with constitutional provisions and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), aimed at protecting fundamental human rights.
According to him; “I want to start by sincerely thanking you all for creating time out of your busy schedule to be here to welcome me to Warri. As you are all aware, Warri and Uvwie remain very strategic to the Command, considering large population and commercial values to the development of the country and the state in particular”.
“I’ve been inundated with reports of police being bias in tackling some ethnic issues in the area. But I want to make it clear that the men and officers under this Command have been well trained to deal with all civil issues in accordance with the provisions of the constitution as well as ACJA, which clearly spelt out the extent to which the police can meddle in any civil disputes across the country”.
“I am therefore using this medium to appeal to all the residents to see the Command as one of the establishments meant to serve their purpose and interest, especially in protecting them from criminals and forces of oppression, intimidation and harassments”, he stated.
Earlier in his speech, the national President, Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Comrade (Dr) Kehinde Prince Taiga, commended the CP Abaniwonda, for his community policing efforts, adding that through its renewed efforts to crime fighting, the rate of violence crimes and community unrest had reduced to the barest minimum.
He however took a swipe at some Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and tactical team Commanders who have started seeing themselves as a “Demi gods” in their various units by demanding that visitors drop their phones at the gate and making themselves inaccessible to the public, urging them to realize that; “there can be no police without citizens”.
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Caption; Delta state Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, addressing Stakeholders at the Warri Area Command during his familiarization visit to Warri, yesterday.
