Elechi Wants Police Commands Restructured

Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi  has called for the restructuring of the zonal
commands of the Nigeria Police Force to make for easy access to their
headquarters.

Elechi made the call in Abakaliki when the Assistant
Inspector General of Police in-charge of Zone 6, Calabar, Mr Muktar Ibrahim,
paid him a courtesy visit.

According to him, it is difficult for people in Ebonyi, for
instance, to seek police services from the headquarters in Calabar due to its
distance from Abakaliki.

“The distance is tasking on the people considering their
poverty level occasioned by the harsh economic climate in the country.

“It will, therefore, be acceptable if states are placed
within zonal commands that are nearer to them and accessible to their people,”
he said.

The governor, however, commended the zone for its
contribution in ensuring adequate security in the state, noting that the state
would continue to cooperate with it for optimum performance.

“Your command was of immense help to the state during the
protracted Ezza/Ezillo communal crisis and while we hope against any
re-occurrence, we still count on your support in case of any eventuality,” he
said.

Elechi observed that the state had been contributing its
quota to assist the police in discharging their functions in spite of its lean
resources.

“Ebonyi is one of the states that receive the least allocation from the federation account but we have still managed to procure six armoured personnel carriers for the force, among other contributions,” he said.

Earlier in his address, Ibrahim said he was in the state as
part of his familiarisation tour of states under the command which include
Cross River, Rivers and Ebonyi.

“I wish to commend the Ebonyi State Government for the
cordial relationship which exists between it and the Nigeria police and seek
for the strengthening of such relationship,” he said.

He expressed satisfaction with the security situations in
states under the zone, noting that it was better than that of other zones in
the country.

“It is heartwarming that the citizens are now aware that
security is everyone’s responsibility and not that of the police or the
government alone,” he said.