Top: Victims
Bottom: L-R: A member of the community, Nyaknno Friday; the youth
leader, Mr. Solomon Nyong; and the community head, Chief Emil Isaac
The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom
State Command, Mr. Murtala Mani, has said that some policemen accused of
involvement in armed robbery cases or assisting robbers to terrorise
Owotuta community in Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area of the state,
have been arrested.
The
CP, who spoke with our correspondent in Uyo on Tuesday, said a new set
of policemen had been posted to the area to conduct investigation on the
matter and also check the rate of criminal activities.
“We have arrested all the policemen who
had been linked to the criminal activities at Owotuta community. They
are in the cells. You cannot wear uniforms and start terrorising the
people.
“We have sent new sets of policemen to
the area to conduct in-depth investigation into the matter. Any
policeman found culpable will be prosecuted,” he said.
The policemen were arrested following
allegations by the indigenes that many of the criminal activities in the
area were masterminded by some policemen.
The village head, Chief Emil Isaac, who
spoke with journalists on Monday, said the community had been living in
fear due to incessant robbery attacks.
According to him, the bandits who
operated in 20s, rape married women in front of their husbands while
single women are raped in front of their fathers and boyfriends. He
added that female youth corps members posted to the community had also
been raped.
He said Owotuta indigenes no longer
enjoyed the essence of living as most times they have to sleep in the
bush because of fear of armed robbery attacks.
Isaac revealed that the vigilance group,
which the community had formed to combat the bandits, could not
withstand them as the criminals often invade the community with
sophisticated weapons.
A youth leader, Mr. Solomon Nyong, said
many of the policemen had not been transferred out of the area for the
past 15 years. He noted that some of the policemen might have been
members of the gangs.
He called on the police authority to
look into the documents of policemen and officers at Ikot Obio Odongo
and transfer those who are due out of the community.
The Police Public Relations Officer in
the state, Cordelia Nwawe, ASP, asked the public to always provide
useful information to the police, especially those policemen who go
about molesting innocent citizens.
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