Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt
The General Overseer of the Abundant Life Evangel Mission, Apostle Eugene Ogun, has commended the Rivers Police Commissioner, Joseph Mukan, for his swift intervention that stopped an illegal detention of a widow and three others.
Ogun said Mukan was only a phone call away to set the victims of right violations free when they were arrested by the operatives of the Eagle Crack Police during the COVID-19 lockdown in Port Harcourt.
He said following complaints that the victims were held in detention over a dud cheque of N900, 000 the widow’s husband issued to a businessman in 2013, he called Mukan on telephone and within 30 minutes the police boss released them.
Ogun commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police for having such a professional police officer amidst disturbing issues of corruption and abuse of human rights involving the police.
The priest, who is also the National Security Director, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) said he was shocked that Mukan without asking of and minding his personality investigated the matter and set the victims free.
He said: “I am happy and proud to really express my gratitude and happiness to the Inspector-General of Police especially with regard to my encounter with the new Commissioner of Police. I really don’t know his name.
“It has to do with an incident that took place during this COVID-19 lockdown involving a widow, whose husband issued a dud cheque of N900, 000 to another man in 2013. Nobody knows what was the business between the dead man and the recipient of the cheque.
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“However, the man died in 2019 about six years after the cheque was issued. At the death of this man, the recipient of the cheque went to one of the buildings of the late man and used the Eagle Crack Police and arrested all the tenants that were there in respect of a cheque issue by their late landlord that has no business with them.
“They compelled the tenants to take them to the house of the widow and on getting there they met the widow and the brothers in-law. They took two of the brothers-in-law, who told them that the woman was still mourning her husband. But they took the widow as well.
“When the matter was reported to me, I was like in this COVID-19? What business did those people have with a cheque issued by a dead man. I didn’t know what to do because there was no movement. All I did was to request from the police, the number of the police commissioner. I never met him before.
“But I was shocked to my bone that when I called the new Commissioner of Police, he picked his phone and said, ‘how do I help you sir?’. I was in doubt whether it was the commissioner of police that I called. I presented the problem to him and he said, ‘call me back in 30 minutes’.
“I was shocked that in 30 minutes I called him and those people were already released. I was like, is this Nigeria? A commissioner of police, I don’t know him, I only gave him information. He requested for details, he inquired and took an action within 30 minutes.
“I was surprised and I feel surprised to say that all hope is not gone in this country. No matter how bad the records are, there are still professional, fine, intelligent hardworking police officers and Rivers State police commissioner is one of them. I give it to the police in Nigeria and the IG and I commend the action of this man”.
He said instead of concentrating on the bad and the ugly in the police, people should speak also to commend the officers with exemplary conducts adding Mukan’s conduct compelled him to activate a process of donating palliatives to wives of policemen killed in active service.
He called on other police commissioners and those in the position of authority at the police to emulate the professional conduct of Mukan.
He said: “I can’t witness such a rare situation and keep quiet to it. So I commend President Muhammadu Buhari and the IGP for the professional conduct and gallantry action of the commissioner of police Rivers State.
“This has propelled me as the President of Arm of Hope Foundation to shift attention to police officers, whose wives were killed in the course of duty. I am preparing to give palliatives to them as a way of appreciating the commissioner’s actions.
“I think it was Socrates who said that the only thing the upright need to do for evil to take over the land is to do nothing. The upright at this time should speak out. When we see something positive like we have seen in the commissioner of police Rivers State, we should speak out.”
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