IGP’s Proactive Policing Strategy Paying Off, Say CP Abbas

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Wale Abbas, in a chat with BIYI ADEGOROYE highlights some of his command’s achievements in the last two months, attributing it to implementation of the IGP’s new proactive and intelligence-led policing strategies

For various reasons, economic, social and others, many forms of crimes, kidnapping, car snatching, robbery are committed frequently around the world, some of which have negative effects on internal security. However, the ability of security agencies to identify such tendencies, nip them in the bud or respond to tackle illustrates their alertness to their constitutional duties.

In this direction, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wale Abbas, has attributed remarkable internal security in the state to the implementation of the proactive policing strategy of crime prevention rather than reacting to criminal activities as directed by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun.

Abbas said the state is witnessing the outcome of combined measures which includes improved welfare for police officers, the IGP’s commitment to improved inter- agency collaboration between the police and other security agencies as well as his pledge “to uphold justice, fairness, protect human dignity, and restore NPF standards, values.”

He said: “You will recall that the IGP’s policing vision included upholding the sanctity of the legal framework of the Nigeria Police Force, tackling the menace of crimes and criminality with the establishment of a specialized Quick Intervention Squad comprising combat ready Police Mobile Force personnel with effective and enhanced training in crisis de-escalation and violent crime reduction strategies; leveraging cutting-edge tools, data analytics, and intelligence networks for a robust and effective human and technical intelligence gathering process to enhance Police capacity; and strengthened inter-agency collaboration.”

Responding to Sunday Telegraph’s questions recently, CP Abbas expressed confidence in the potency of the police high command’s Safe Schools Programme, which would soon be launched in the country. On major achievements in the Delta State, Abbas said his officers and men at various divisions and anti-crime outfits have been up in arms against kidnappers, notorious armed robbers and bandits, smoked them out of their hideouts, most of whom have been arrested and their cases are at various stages of prosecution.

In the process, several arms and ammunition have been recovered, while over 50 of such suspects have been paraded in the last one month. Among the successes was the arrest of two inter-state robbery suspects and recovery of a vehicle belonging to the Ondo State government. “In the month of June alone,” Abbas said “the command recovered five AK-47, five Pump Action gun recovered, 24 locally made guns recovered, 489 ammunition, 469 cartridges were recovered and eight stolen vehicles.”

As regards sundry achievements last month, he said “For instance, on July 29, while a police patrol team attached to Ebrumede Police Station was on stop-and- search duty at Fupre Junction Effurun, it flagged down a Lexus car for their routine search. The occupants of the vehicle immediately jumped down with one of them bearing a double-barrel gun and tried to escape.

CP Abass “Some of the policemen gave them a hot chase during which the suspect bearing the firearm was neutralised while others escaped. On a closer look at the vehicle, a kidnapped victim was seen blindfolded. He was rescued and taken to the Police Station.

“The victim stated that on the same date along Jakpa Road, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, the suspected kidnappers hit his vehicle with a tricycle, and in an attempt to confront them, they brought out the gun and forced him into his own vehicle. Before he was rescued, he had already paid sum of N700,000 ransom to their account through bank transfer.

“In another instance, on May 28, at about 20: 30 pm, acting on credible intelligence gathered on a criminal gang, “the DPO Owvian Aladja Division led surveillance team to the a scrap yard in Ekpan and arrested one Ojokor Jeffrey ‘m’ 22yrs of Ughelli who is the (suspected) gang leader of the criminal gang terrorising Warri– Sapele Road.

“Further interrogation of the suspect led to the arrest of his gang members namely: Musa Amadu, male, 27 years, Abu Mohammed, male, 30, Mohammed Saidu ; Anas Idris 20, Abubakra Muktar, 23, and Kamilu Alasa, 21, and two locally-made double-barrel guns and 11 live cartridges were recovered from them. While investigation is underway, last Sunday, the Command received a distress call from Ondo State that a suspected stolen vehicle was already in Delta State.

“Armed with relevant information, I immediately detailed the CP-Decoy squad to embark on an intelligence-led investigation into the matter. “The team trailed the car to Patani, and the DPO Patani was contacted who in turn alerted police patrol team stationed on the Patani expressway and at about 20: 30 pm of same date, the vehicle was sighted and flagged down by the policemen.

The vehicle with registration number OD 231 A10 was recovered and two suspects namely, Tochukwu Nnamani, 22, and Chukwuma Unue , 38, both from Rivers State were arrested. “The suspects claimed that the vehicle was handed to them by one Efe in Ughelli for them to deliver to one chief in River State. Preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle belonged to Ondo State Government but attached to the Ministry of Lands and Infrastructure and the vehicle was removed from where it was parked at Owo town in Ondo State. Case will be transferred to Ondo State Police Command.

“In another instance, we also recovered a G-3 rifle, one SMG rifle, four English pump-action guns, two locally made guns and two locally fabricated pistols. This was the outcome of my deployment of a new DPO to Ekpan Division with a firm directive to flush out criminals in Ekpan and environs.

“The DPO has stakeholders meetings with residents where he warned that crime will not be tolerated in the Area and advised those in possession of firearms to respect themselves and surrender their weapons. Some residents in Ekpan yielded to this advice and dropped their arms at a conspicuous place in the community, and the DPO was alerted.

The DPO swiftly mobilized his men and recovered the various arms listed above. Effort is still on to sanitize Ekpan community and environs completely.” In a major synergy with the Army in the state, following series of intelligence reports received on the activities of kidnappers/armed robbers in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area, Warri and environs, on July 3, at about 16: 00 pm, the DPO led a combined team comprising policemen attached to Ekpan Police Station and personnel of 3 battalion Nigerian Army on a sting operation and raided their hideout at Agadaga avenue off Jakpa road, Ekpan, where discreet search was conducted at an uncompleted building.

During the operation, one AK-47 Rifle with five magazines loaded with 161 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one Assault Rifle with two magazines loaded with 59 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, two English pump-action guns, 110 rounds of live cartridges, one Double Barrel gun, one Single Barrel gun, one toy gun, 14 cutlasses, bunch of charms wrapped in a cap were recovered. Serious manhunt for the criminal syndicate was underway at the time of this report..

Abbas added that during one of the operations, his men engaged some bandits two killed two of the men of the command, but retaliated by engaging the team of bandits, killing one and arrest- ing two others. In another instance, an off-duty policeman was also stabbed on the head with a yet to be identified object during an altercation.

“In response to the attack on Police operatives attached to Dragon Patrol team last week at about 11 40 pm, while on stop- and-search duty at Oleh Roundabout, after the suspected bandits shot and killed two operatives and set the patrol vehicle ablaze, I detailed a combined team of policemen attached to Ozoro Area Command, Dragon Patrol to go after the attackers.

“With the support of troops from the Nigerian Army, 63 Brigade and members of the local vigilante the men swung into action. During the operation, the combined team engaged the hoodlums in a serious gun duel, subduing the hoodlums who fled into the bush having been inflicted gunshot injuries.

“The team traced their blood to a river where one AK-47 rifle was recovered on the same day. The response team sustained the tempo and continued the operation on July 24. Acting on credible intelligence, they stormed Erewa Community bush in Isoko North Local Government, where they engaged the remnant of the bandits in serious gun duel, neutralising one of them, arrested two others, recovered two more AK-47 rifles, one assault rifle, four magazines and twelve 7.62 AK-47 ammunition. Effort is still on to track down other members of the syndicate.”

He said similar successes have been recorded in Warri, I have since assured that the command will not relent in the fight against crime and criminality while counting on the support from well-meaning Deltans in ensuring that the state is safe for all.