ACP Odion Ekeinde, the Area Commander, Umuahia Central Police Station (CPS), has advised all the Divisional Police Officers to form strong collaboration with hunters in the area to effectively tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Ekeinde gave the advice on Thursday in Umuahia during a town hall meeting he convened on how to combat the rising crime wave in the area with major stakeholders in the area.
He said that hunters had good knowledge of their environments, especially the bushes and forests where kidnapped victims were usually taken into custody.
He expressed the hope that hunters would be veritable sources of useful information on kidnappers dens and hideouts in the area.
“We have instances where hunters assisted the police with intelligence report that helped to rescue kidnapped victims.
“I therefore urge the hunters in this area to go into the bush and forest and assist in gathering information about where kidnapped victims are being held.
“You should give us the information immediately so that we can move in to rescue the victims,” the area commander said.
He urged the DPOs to show understanding with the hunters, saying that they were popular with dane guns.
He said, “hunters move with dane guns so you should not harass them when you see them. You should show understanding and work with them.”
Ekeinde further called for greater collaboration between DPOs and traditional rulers in their areas of jurisdiction, if they hoped to succeed.
He said that the monarchs had full knowledge about crime and criminals in their respective domains.
“I want you to assist me to succeed, I will cooperate with all of you to move this area forward.
“Give me information through calls and short message service (SMS),” he told the traditional rulers.
He, however, warned that such information should not be for witchunting of their enemies but about crimes that were committed or about to be committed.
The area commander, while reacting to comments and observations from the stakeholders, warned cattle owners against night grazing and use of child-herders.
He said that night grazing and destroying farms at a time residents were sleeping were highly forbidden.
“Night grazing of cattle is not allowed. It is forbidden and we will not tolerate it,” he said, adding that child-herders was also an offence.
He warned herdsmen to steer clear from people’s farms and crops.
Ekeinde also spoke on the menace of hard drugs, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes, saying that such crimes were usually committed under the influence of hard drugs.
He therefore urged traditional rulers, town unions and community leaders to assist the police to rid the area of hard drugs.
He advised them to provide intelligence report on peddlers of hard drugs in their communities to the police.
“You should give vital and strategic information on crime and criminals in your areas to  responsible police officers, especially DPOs,” Ekeinde said.
He allayed their fears that information given to police on crime had often been leaked to the concerned criminals, leading to the informant being attacked later.
“If you give vital information on criminals’ activities to police in the beer palour, it is likely to leak.
“But when you volunteer information to DPOs, it will be treated with great confidentiality,” he said.
He gave assurance that the command would organise a general raid of all the suspected flashpoints and criminal hideouts in the area.

He appealed to the monarchs to promote harmonious co-habitation between the natives and strangers resident in their communities.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by traditional rulers in the area, including the Chairman, Traditional Rulers Council in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia, Eze Philip Ajomiwe.
Ajomiwe appealed to the three tiers of government to equip the police with modern crime fighting equipment, logistics and proper remuneration to encourage them to give their best.
Also, Eze Donatus Aguiyi, the Traditional Ruler of Ndume Ibeku Autonomous Community, complained about armed banditry and menace of child-herders in his area.
Aguiyi said that his people no longer farm because of the activities of the herders, saying that the farms in the community were being ravaged on a daily basis by cattle.
Others at the meeting included leaders of various groups, associations and unions, who promised to cooperate with the new area commander to reduce crime to the barest level.

-NAN

BE

– July 4, 2019 @ 19:10 GMT |