Anambra New Police Boss Warns Fake News Peddlers

Anambra New Police Boss Warns Fake News Peddlers

MAIDEN ADDRESS BY THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
ANAMBRA STATE POLICE COMMAND,
CP JOHN B. ABANG, fdc,
AT THE STATE COMMAND HEADQUATERS AWKA.

It is my pleasure to address you today, Thursday, 11th July, 2019 as the 28th Commissioner of Police in Anambra State – the Light of the Nation. I give all thanks to Almighty God for His favour and mercies; and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu NPM, mni for finding me worthy to serve as the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Police Command at this time.

2. On assumption of duty within the last twenty-four hours, I have been fully briefed on a few criminal and security challenges in the State at the moment. These include disputes over land, the menace of one chance robbery gangs, robbery, kidnapping and of course cultism. Undoubtedly, the command under my predecessor, CP Mustapha Dandaura, has recorded many successes in clearing the menace of miscreants in several areas of Onitsha metropolis, the arrest and prosecution of murder and robbery suspects and the general maintenance of law and order in the State. I also want to acknowledge the immense support of the Anambra State Government for the operations and activities of the Police Command and its personnel.

3. In keeping with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu NPM, mni to ‘make Nigeria safer and more secure for economic development and growth…’, the Command under my watch shall take a zero tolerance stance on crime. Therefore, all our efforts and energies shall be mobilized and deployed towards the prevention of crimes; and the successful apprehension of criminals that would test our resolve. Regrettably, only last week, we lost an operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in an onslaught against kidnappers. This is indeed unacceptable. Therefore, the Command shall reinvigorate Operation Puff Adder and give it more bite to tackle cultism, robbery and kidnapping particularly. This is a clarion call to all officers and men of the Command to brace up for the task ahead. My advice to cultists, robbers and kidnappers is for them to have a rethink and purge themselves or relocate away from the State.

4. Another menace is the issue of fake news which has the capacity to cause widespread disaffection, chaos, violence or disruption of the public peace. May I use this medium to warn the purveyors of such news through whatever means to desist henceforth; or face the full wrath of the law whenever they are apprehended. Inspite of our resolve to fight violent crimes and cultism to a standstill, efforts would be made to employ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies and Community Policing Principles where applicable and germane to specific problems and issues.

5. Furthermore, I am not unmindful of other challenges bordering on professional misconduct on the part of our officers and men such as extortion, unlawful/over detention and incivility to members of the Public among others. In this vein, I urge all personnel of the Command to eschew corruption and indiscipline. The Command will sustain the existing inter-agency collaboration and improve our respect for the Rule of Law and fundamental Human Rights in accordance with international best practices.

6. I want to assure all Ndi Anambra both at home and in Diaspora that the Command under my watch will work assiduously to continue to make the State the safest in the country. It is also pertinent to emphasize here that, the safety and security of lives and property in the State will not be possible without the cooperation of well meaning members of the public and religious/community leaders. Your trust in the ability of the Police and other security agencies will continue to engender a safe and secure environment for all residents in the State. I want to solicit the support and understanding of the fourth (4th) Estate of the Realm (members of the media) in the resolve of the Police Command to make Anambra State safer for all and sundry.

7. Finally, I encourage well meaning members of the public resident in Anambra State to report any suspicious person(s) or movement(s) to the nearest Police Station or through the Command’s emergency number – 07039194332 for prompt action, please.

CP JOHN B. ABANG fdc
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
ANAMBRA STATE POLICE COMMAND,
AWKA