April 4, 2020
By Ijendu Iheaka
Abia Police command has arrested two policemen in Ikwuano and Isiala Ngwa North LGAs for contravening the IGP’s guidelines on lockdown enforcement in some states due to coronavirus outbreak.
The Abia Police Commissioner, Ene Okon who disclosed this during an interview with our Correspondent in Aba on Saturday said the policemen were arrested on Friday for disregarding IGPs directives.
The Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed had on April 3, directed policemen across the country to strictly observe human rights in the discharge of their duties during this period.
Okon therefore warned other policemen working during this period to know that they were being watched and would be brought to book if they erred from the directives.
“As I am talking to you, I have two policemen in the cell who deviated from the guidelines of the Inspector-General of Police.
“I got the report and sent my monitoring team quickly and they were arrested. They are being detained now and by Monday their trial will start.
“These ones we have arrested should send signals to others to let them know that they are being monitored and that everything will be done to bring any erring police officer to book”, he said.
Okon who outlined steps he had taken to enforce Abia government’s directives aimed at keeping coronavirus away from the state urged citizens to endure the sacrifice for the good of all.
The CP reacting to reports that policemen at boundary posts in Abia were using the lockdown to extort and allow persons wanting to cross the state’s boundaries, said he was attending to complaints on such issues promptly.
ThIs site learnt that some policemen at Abia boundaries with neighbouring states have thrown caution to the wind, extorting and allowing people to pass and thereby breaching lockdown restrictions in the affected states.
Abia had on March 29, closed its boundaries with other states while announcing a total lockdown on Wednesday, April 1, as a measure to stop coronavirus infections from spilling over to the state.
However, the policemen at the boundaries according to sources have converted the opportunity to create brisk business opportunities for themselves by extorting people entering the state and allowing them in.
Joseph Alota, a bricklayer working in Akwa Ibom who spoke to this site said he was stranded after their manager called off work following five Covid-19 cases recorded in that state.
He told our Correspondent that he managed to return to Umuahia having paid policemen N3, 500 at the boundary checkpoint along Ikot Ekpene -Umuahia road between Ini LGA in Akwa Ibom and Ikwuano LGA in Abia.
"Personally I decided I would rather go home than waste the money I have with me in Akwa Ibom because nobody knows what will happen next.
“But when we reached the boundary, police chased us back saying we'll not enter Abia for any reason but people were many because the Akwa Ibom infections came as a shock.
“If I'm not mistaken, there were over 500 people because the bike men were having a field day collecting N1,000 per person, per drop.
"Few hours after standing there begging, one of their bosses addressed us and said we must all pay N5000 each to cross over to Ikwuano.
“People started begging but at a point they ended the bargaining with an agreement that each person should pay N 3,500 per person. And I gave them N3, 500, that was how I managed to get home”, he said.
This site learnt that the police at the Abia and Imo State boundary in Ekenobizi, Umuopara, Umuahia South LGA which is along the Owerri-Obowo-Umuahia road have also converted it to a toll collection point.
Sources told our Correspondent that Umuahia residents in connivance with policemen still visit Ahia Maylasia (Malaysian Market) at Abia boundary with Imo state located in Umungwa, Obowo LGA of Imo State to buy and sell.
Samuel Obinna, a trader in Aba who buy wares from Port Harcourt said that Abia -Rivers state boundary at Ukwa and Obigbo had been rendered porous too by men of Abia police command.
He said that it is only the resistance of the Rivers State Police Command that is preventing movement of Aba traders into into Obigbo, in Rivers state.
He, however said that they have devised a detour through the Waterways linking Asa in Ukwa West and Obigbo LGA in Rivers to beat the Rivers state policemen at Imo Gate
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