The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Adaku Uche-Anya, has charged Nigerians to report any police officer who demands their phones and account balances for prosecution.

According to the CP, it is illegal for any police officer to harass and forcefully demand the account balance of any citizen during stop-and-search operations.

The CP stated this during a town hall meeting with stakeholders of different bodies in the state, including the Traditional Rulers Council, student leaders, artisans, market leadership, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Journalists, Christian Association of Nigeria, and a host of others, in commemoration of the National Police Day celebration.

The Commissioner, who promised to wade in to ensure that police in Ebonyi become transparent and free from alleged illegal practices?mostly on the roads?urged residents of the state to help the Command fish out bad officers damaging the image of the police by reporting them immediately.

She warned civilians never to engage police personnel violently.

Her words: ?The meeting is geared towards improving service delivery, maintaining law and order, and ensuring that lives and properties are secure. Partner with the police, give us information, report whenever you see something going wrong. You are permitted to arrest and hand over to the police, but never take laws into your hands.?

?No officer has the right to check people?s phones unless there is a petition under investigation, and not on the road. No policeman has the right to ask you to withdraw your money and send it to them. Report to the police?many of them have been dismissed for doing that. I urge civilians to help the police fight crime and illegalities among police on the road. If you see and keep quiet, you are not doing us any good. If you see something, please call me, the control room, or any senior officer immediately. They will not know?we will arrest them to stop illegalities appropriately.?

Reacting, HRH Eze Oketa commended the Commissioner of Police and her team for calming restiveness in the state. He lauded the State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing the Ebonyi Command with support to achieve good results. He, however, urged the CP not to relent in safeguarding the state, assuring her that the people of the state will not disappoint her, as he passed a vote of confidence in her.

Meanwhile, the students highlighted some of the challenges they faced at the hands of police personnel within the school campus, including molestation, threats, torture, and the forceful collection of their money.

They, however, appealed to the CP to organize a meeting between students and the Crack and AK departments to ease the harassment of students.

?We, the students, want to appeal to you, ma, to call for a meeting that will be attended by the students, Crack and AK departments of the police, and advise them to leave our phones alone. We call on you, ma, to allow us to create a student security group that will collaborate with the police in checkmating crime among the students,? they pleaded.

Also, the market leaders commended the Commissioner of Police for the stakeholders? engagement. According to them, the meeting has yielded results and reduced crime and other social vices in the area. ?Since this engagement and partnership with the police, we have recovered stolen items, including cars. We promise to continue partnering with the police,? he said. (Nigerian Tribune)

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