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Tag: Chris Ezike

  • Okon takes over as Abia police chief

    The immediate past Commissioner of Police (CP) in Abia State Chris Ezike, now Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone 4, has handed over to the new CP Etim Ene Okon with the charge to members of the command to be dedicated to their duty.

    Speaking while handing over to Okon, Ezike said that he had spent barely three months as the CP of the state and that he was preparing to go home when his new elevation came, which he described as a pleasant surprise.

    Ezike said that his experience in that state has been a good one as he has been able to reduce crime rate to the barest minimum with the strategies he put in place to combat various crimes in the state.

    The new AIG in charge of Zone 4 thanked officers and men of the command for their collaborative efforts in helping him to achieve the modest achievements he did within a short period of three months.

    He charged them to remain loyal, committed and dedicated to the force as well as cooperate with his successor.

    He said, “The man taking over from me is well known in the state having left here seven months ago as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).”

    Ezike used the opportunity to thank the state governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his collaborative efforts in seeing to the successes of the police in the state during his time, stressing that the governor was willing to assist at all times.

    He said, “I want to use this forum to thank governor Ikpeazu for his efforts to see that the police work is made easy, the assurances he made to the command have been kick started and in no distant time my successor will start seeing them.”

    “I believe that the new CP will continue from where I stopped and I also believe that the governor will provide us with the logistics to work with and the expected manpower will also be made available for the work load to be less.”

    The new AIG zone 4 said that police work this time around is a very critical one with the election around the corner, “We therefore need to be very vigilant at all times, alert, show loyalty, so that at the end there will be a crisis free and credible elections across the country.”

    Ezike said, “I am very happy to be handing over to my son and a worthy colleague, I was the one that handed over the police form to him while I was the PPRO in Calabar in 1987 and I believe that he will do well having served as DCP in the state”.

    Receiving the handover notes, the new CP Okon said that since he joined the force that he has been following the career progress of the new AIG, “Here is the man who gave me the form to join police which I reminded him last night.”

    Okon said that he is afraid to occupy the big shoe Ezike is leaving behind for him as they are too big for him, “However sir if I encounter any problems, please always oblige me your services whenever I call.”

    He said that he left the state seven months ago as DCP, “But am back now as the state CP, I want to assure everyone that I have not changed, will not change and will ever remain very meticulous in service.”

    The new Abia CP noted that he is assuming office at a very critical and challenging time with the elections just about four days away and urged all to focus on the election assignment, “After which we will look and think about the way forward for the command.”

  • Police arrest car-snatching syndicate

    The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday announced that its personnel attached to Umuopara Police Station in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state on an intensive stop and search operation has arrested an armed robbery and car snatching gang.

    This was disclosed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna in a statement released to journalists on behalf of the state commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike.

    Ogbonna in the release gave names of the four-man gang members as Alegu Anaeto ‘m’ of Ezea, Ebonyi State, 22yrs, Daniel Omeh ‘m’ of Mgbo, Ohaukwu LGA Ebonyi State, 25yrs, Peter Onuameme ‘m’ of Obowo Imo State, 38yrs and iv. Emeka Ibeh ‘m’ of Obokwu Obizi Ezinihitte Mbaise Imo State, 48yrs.

    The police personnel was also said to have recovered a Toyota Sienna SUV with Registration number HM 67 EKY, which they allegedly snatched on gunpoint from its owner, one Iwuchukwu Prince Chimuanya of No. 24 Amaigbo Road, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

    The suspects were said to have also made away with cash sum of hisN25,000.00, Permanent Voters’ Card, original Driver’s License and other valuables of the victim.

    According to Ogbonna the Umuopara officers intercepted Alegu Anaeto with the vehicle and when he was questioned, he could not give proper account of the vehicle.

    Anaeto was later transferred to the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit where he made confessional statements that led to the arrest of his cohorts and revelations of more of their escapades.

    Read Also: Court restrains EFCC, Police from arresting Fani-Kayode, Odumakin

    It was learnt that the Commissioner of Police has directed the immediate transfer of the suspects to Rivers Command, where the matter was originally reported.

    Ogbonna said that arrest of the suspects and recovery of the SUV was because of the determination of the Police Commissioner to purge Abia of crime and criminality which was why he (Ezike) created tactical operational units which include Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Monitoring Unit and Anti-Cultism, stressing that the units since their creation have made significant and remarkable marks in investigations and crime fighting in the State.

  • Explosion rocks Umuahia Catholic Church

    An explosion on Tuesday rocked the Diocesan Headquarters of Umuahia Catholic Archdiocese, popularly Mater Dei Catholic Church on Azikiwe road in Umuahia, the Abia capital.

    It was gathered the explosion, which occurred in the church premises at about 2:45pm, caused pandemonium in the area as residents who were taken by surprise scampered for safety.

    Sources within the cathedral revealed the explosion was caused by an old abandoned petrol tank, which had been buried and long forgotten.

    The church gardener, after his routine cleanup was said to have unknowingly set fire on heap of refuse collected while cleaning the compound directly where the tank was buried

    The heat from the fire was said to have triggered the explosion, which affected roofs of houses around the cathedral.

    No life was said to however been affected during the incident.

    Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, told our correspondent exclusively that personnel of the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) of the State Command have been moved to the scene of the incident.

    He said in a telephone conversation: “A cleaner in the church, after sweeping the compound set fire on the debris and the debris spread to a disused underground fuel tank and exploded, bringing down part of a nearby fence and shattering a vehicle parked in the next compound.

    “As I speak to you, the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) of the Police; the Bomb Disposal Unit has been moved to the place to make all assurance that there is nothing much more than the facts that we know now.

    “By tomorrow, when they come out with their scientific report, I will also update members of the public.”

     

  • ‘No Chinese with human heads in our custody’

    Abia State Police Command has debunked online publication making rounds which claimed that some  Chinese workers were allegedly caught with 15 human heads in the state.
    The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike through a release issued by the Command’s spokesman, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna bemoaned the publisher of the report which he said never occurred in the state.
    According to Ezike, the video has been subjected to intelligent scrutiny and was found to be of no substance and  cautioned the populace against the growing tendency of using online publications to propagate unfounded news and hate speech that are capable of undermining the peace and tranquility of the state.
    He said that Abia hosts lots of Chinese who engage in various commercial and economic activities, adding that such unfounded allegation could undermine their security and contributions to the economic activities/development in the state.

    Read Also: Four human heads discovered in Ebonyi

    The Commissioner while assuring the Chinese of protection of their lives and properties, promised that those involved in the production and circulation of the fake viral video would be fished out and prosecuted.
    On the preparation of the command to ensure a crime free Christmas and new year celebration, Mr. Ezike said that though no society is crime free, he however stated that the command was well prepared to tackle challenges and vices associated with Christmas and new year celebrations.
     He called on parents to advised their children and wards to be law abiding adding that law remains respecter of no person and that even a juvenile could be arrested and tried for minor crimes and offences.

  • Police still investigating drowned man case – CP

    The Police Commissioner in Abia, Mr Chris Ezike on Wednesday said that the command was still investigating the case of the drowned man at a swimming pool.

    He added that the friends of the deceased were also taken back into custody to continue with investigation and rule out foul-play.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a 20 year old man drowned at the swimming pool of a hotel on Margret Avenue in GRA, Aba on Nov. 29.

    The man was said to have gone to swim at the hotel’s pool during their colleague’s birthday party but drowned.

    Sixteen other friends of the deceased at the party were arrested by the police for investigation and later released on Nov. 30.

    A police source told NAN that their release came after preliminary investigations involving CCTV footage previews at the Central Police Station, Aba failed to link them with their colleague’s death.

    However, NAN findings showed that State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday re-arrested and moved the boys to the police headquarters in Umuahia.

    Ezike said that the police were not in for a witch hunt but wanted to rule out the possibility of foul-play in the death of the young man.

    “You talked about CCTV footage. The footage did not show when the boy entered the pool. It only showed his body in the pool.

    Read Also: Give me my son corpse for burial, widow tells Police

     

    “We are looking at negligent act; we are looking at willful act. Willful acts are different from negligent acts but all or part can form the ingredients of a crime.

    “So it is just the process of investigation that is going on. The matter is not an Aba matter because it involved homicide.

    “When somebody has died, it elevates the discourse to a different level of investigation. We are not out to witch hunt anybody but in search of the truth,” he said.

    Asked if following his promise to reduce human rights abuses he would stop the process of arresting suspects before investigation, Ezike said there are rules to obey.

    “You obey the law and you obey the Constitution. The climes where you do not do that are different from ours.

    “If you talk about the United States of America, they run a system where the prosecuting agencies are attached to the police. So more or less they are part of the investigation.

    ‘’It is not so here. Secondly, they have virtually everything you will need in criminal investigation. They have the CCTV, they have the intelligence electronic devices. With all that they know when to go for arrest.

    “But for us here, we start from the answer to the question. I wish we will get to where we start from the question to the answer,” he said.

  • Armed robbers attack Bureau De Change Operator

    Cart away millions of cash

     

    Armed robbers operating on a motorcycle have reportedly attacked a yet-to-be identified female Bureau De Change operator in Aba, Abia State. This is even as the gunmen reportedly made away with millions of dollars.

    While information gathered by our reporter has it that the woman reportedly died after being hospitalized, but Abia State Police Commissioner, Chris Ezike told in a telephone interview that the woman was still alive.

    The incident, it was gathered occurred at the popular Market Road section housing Bureau De Change operators.

    The woman was said to have arrived Aba with huge sums of dollars and other foreign currencies which she had gone to source from one of the Southeastern Central Banks which is expected to be in high demand during the Christmas season.

    Information gathered by our correspondent has it that the woman was reportedly trailed to the area by the gunmen who apparently had knowledge of her return and purpose for which she had traveled outside the state.

    While some of the Bureau De Change operators refused commenting on the matter, a source in the area disclosed that their members are now doing business in fears.

    The source stated that the armed robbers carted away cash worth millions of naira in various foreign denominations including dollars, pound sterling and Euro respectively which the woman had gone outside the state to source for.

    “Usually, we go outside the state to source for money. The woman went to one of the Central Banks in the Southeast to source for money. You know that this is festive period where a lot of people come to black market to change dollars and other bills. People who are traveling outside the country do come here while people who came back for X-mass do come here to change money.

    “So, this time, our members do go to any state to look for what they will use to do business for the season. I was told that the woman was coming down from a car when she was accosted by men wielding gun. They shot her and left with all the monies that she came back with.”

    Read Also: Police arrest four suspected armed robbers in Calabar

    A source at the Aba Area Command of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) who craved anonymity told our reporter that investigation into the matter had begun.

    According to the source, they suspected that there could be an insider’s connection to the robbery incident.

    The source who could not confirm if there was any suspect in custody at the time of this report, stated that preliminary investigation has it that the gunmen shot at the woman after she allegedly refused to let go the bag containing the money that she came back with.

    The source said that the woman was rushed to a private hospital in Aba for treatment after the robbers had left the scene.

    In a related development, Police have reportedly started swooping on motorcycle operators in Aba and its environs.

    Investigation by our reporter has it that Policemen under the Aba Area Command decided to clampdown on the cyclists following the recent robbery along Aba-Owerri road and Market by men armed men on motorcycle.

    A senior police officer at the Aba Area Command in a chat with our reporter said that the action of the policemen were in compliance with the directives of the Governor of the State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu who had banned the use of motorcycles in Aba and its environs.

    According to the senior police officer, the enforcement of the Governor’s directive would this time be total, adding that the preference given to personnel of various military and para-military agencies in the past would no longer be tolerated.

  • Imo Police recovers 168 illegal guns in arms mop up

    Imo state Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Ezike, on Tuesday displayed massive cache of arms ammunition recovered by the Command during the ongoing nationwide Arms mop-up and recovery exercise initiated by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

    A total number of 168 guns, 2323 live ammunitions, 99 cartridges and 22 empty magazines were among the illegal arms recovered from Police raids and voluntary submission by the owners.

    The Commissioner of Police, while displaying the arms before newsmen at the Command Headquarters in Owerri, noted that the exercise has led to a drastic reduction in the number of light and small “but dangerous weapons within the Imo polity”.

    According to him, the exercise has also led to a reduction in the rate of criminal activities like kidnapping, armed robbery and cult related violence in the state, adding that firearms are facilitators of violence.

    He said, “firearms are facilitators of violence. The mop-up of illegal arms will no doubt restore peace to our communities and keep our communities safe and secured. The arms mop-up has become an exercise aimed at checking the activities of would be political thugs as we journey towards 2019”.

  • Imo CP seeks stiffer punishment for convicted cultists

    The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Mr Chris Ezike, has called for stiffer punishment for convicted cultists to check the menace especially crime its roots.

    Ezike made the call in an interview with the News men on Monday in Owerri.

    He said the punishment stipulated by Imo State law on cultism-related offences has not in any way helped in fighting cultism.

    The commissioner advised the state lawmakers to look into the law with a view to amendment where necessary.

    He explained that cultism is where all the crimes and social vices are rooted, adding that crime fighting cannot be completed without serious war on cultism.

    “Cultism is the mother of all crimes because once one is initiated into any cult group the person becomes a criminal automatically.

    “He will immediately seek to own a gun and thereafter becomes vulnerable to all manner of criminality,” he said.

    Read Also: Ahamba: Imo governor not exclusive right of Owerri Zone

    Ezike expressed worries that when a cultist was arrested due to the prescriptions of the law, the person will be given bail in court when arraigned and will automatically go back to the game.

    “We are really worried that our men will round up cult members even at the scene of carrying out initiation and when they are arraigned in court they will be granted bail and tomorrow you still encounter the same group,” he said.

    He said the law should make cultism-related offences unbailable so that culprits could stand their trials from remand homes.

    The CP also said that police have subdued kidnappers in Imo, while crime rate has drastically reduced.

    The News men recalled that Imo State Government had passed a vote of confidence on Ezike and rated him high on crime fighting recently as he marked one year in office in Imo.

    NAN

  • Okorocha commends Police for drop in crime rate

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Monday commended the state Police Command for the ‘drastic’ reduction of crime rate in the state through effective policing.

    He said that his government is committed to the protection of lives and property of the citizens of the state.

    The Imo governor gave the commendation during the commissioning of refurbished crime fighting vehicles at the State Police Command Headquarters.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Uche Nwosu, Okorocha stated that since the assumption of office by the current Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, criminal activities in the state has dropped to the barest minimum.

    He disclosed that funds have been approved for the different security agencies to refurbish their vehicles, including the Army, Police and Nigeria Security Civil and Defense Corps (NSCDC).

    He said, “Mr. Commissioner Sir, you have done better than your predecessor. These vehicles remind me of the Structural Adjustment Programme which is that vehicles can be refurbished to their almost new state and I commend your capacity to turn things around”.

    According to him, “it takes a man of vision and capacity to think and also know how to do it. And I commend your capacity and capability”.

    On his part, the State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike stated that crime is on a downward trend in the State.

    He disclosed that raids on criminal hideouts will be enhanced based on intelligence and information provided by the public.

    Ezike said “let me thank our people for always providing useful information. I assure you that we will continue raids on criminal hideouts in the different localities. While we will continue our visibility policing, so that anywhere you turn, you will see Police personnel protecting lives and properties”.

    Ezike disclosed that a total of 15 vehicles have been refurbished to enhance policing in the State.

     

  • Accidents: FRSC seeks improved partnership with police in Imo

    Accidents: FRSC seeks improved partnership with police in Imo

    Mr Joseph Aremu, The new Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps in Imo, has called for robust partnership and collaboration with the state Police Command to check road accidents.

    Aremu made the call on Thursday in Owerri when he visited the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Ezike.

    He described police as a critical stakeholder in highway management.

    Aremu said that the visit was to seek improved collaboration with the police to effectively and efficiently coordinate activities on the highways.

    “FRSC is doing its best to reduce road crashes in the state. We are working tirelessly to ensure that road crashes are completely reduced.

    According to him, the FRSC operatives are sometimes disregarded due to the fact that they are don’t carry firearms.

    “We are often disregarded by road users because we are armless, but with the cooperation of the police, we can track down culprits,” he said.

    He said that FRSC had introduced the “Traffic Offenders Examination Speed limiting Device.”

    Aremu said that the police would play a greater role, especially by further investigating stolen vehicles impounded by FRSC and bringing the criminals to justice.

    Ezike pledged total partnership and support to FRSC.

    “We are ever ready to partner and support your command because your men are doing a great job by saving road users from untimely death,” he said.

    Ezike said police and FRSC had been partnering very well without any friction, adding that he would provide the leadership that would sustain the partnership.

    “FRSC is not known to me to be having any record of friction with the police and we will do everything possible to sustain it.

    According to him, most road users are usually drunk and careless while driving on the road.

    “It is unfortunate that innocent people still die in this nation out of carelessness of drivers, some of them are drunk others intentionally disobey traffic rules and we will fight this together.”