By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The apex Igbo socio-cultural association – the Ohaneze Ndigbo, FCT Chapter, has indicted the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), on their operation on the South east roads, alleging that the police officers are indulging in commercial activities on the roads in the entire region.
The President Ohaneze Ndigbo, FCT Chapter, Bar. Onwu Arua, made this allegation in Abuja, when he led a delegation of members on a courtesy call to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Dr. Solomon Arase.
Condemning the mercantile activities of Officers of the Nigeria Police Force on South East roads, Ohaneze leadership, lamented the hardship the people of the area go through while undertaking journey across the zone.
Spokesperson of the Commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement said that the group complained of the high-level extortion by Policemen and the indiscriminate roadblocks that have brought about unpleasant experiences to the citizens.
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To this end, Ohaneze called for the dismantling of all the road blocks where extortion is going on in the zone especially when Christmas is around the corner to ease traffic.
He also expressed the organization’s concern about the lack of interest of the Igbos in the current ongoing recruitment exercise for Constables into the Police Force.
Mr. Araua, called for a more elaborate plan in police recruitment to redress the disadvantages of southeast in the Nigeria police structure.
The Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase, promised to take up the matter with the Inspector General of Police.
The former IGP also used the occasion to plead with the leadership of Ohanaeze to stop the incessant killings of policemen in the zone.
He said: “the killing of Police Officers in the South East is becoming worrisome. They are killing them every day and they should let the killers know that the Police are not their enemy. They have not done anything wrong. The Force has lost some numbers of serving Officers in the Southeast. We are your friends, stop making Police wives widows, they are your sisters”.
Dr. Arase said the problem of the South East is that of identity crisis adding that “we have resolved the perceived marginalisation of the zone in the Police representation in the country.
