•Says he was deliberately misquoted

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The new Anambra State Police Commissioner, Aderemi Adeoye, has denied reports in the media that he directed his officers to go on killing spree in the state.

The CP made the clarification in an interview with journalists in Awka over the weekend.

The Commissioner had, during his maiden Press Conference on Wednesday, said his Command did not have any delight in the killing of anyone but would stop at not nothing to achieve the mandate given to them by the Inspector-General of Police.

He had said at the Press Conference: “And we have no delight if anyone loses their life but if that is what it takes to protect the people of Anambra State, we will stop at no obstacle to achieve this mandate given to us by the Inspector-General of Police.”

The quotation that has however elicited the reactions of Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora who out rightly condemned the comment attributed to the CP and also called for his removal.

Also calling for his removal or transfer was a rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), who described Adeoye's stance as a bad foot on the wrong wheel, especially with the security challenges being currently experienced in the South East zone.

The group stated: "It is an ethnic cleansing and murderous comments targeting defenseless members of the Eastern Nigerian population resident in the state.

"It is on account of the foregoing that we at Intersociety are strongly calling for the immediate transfer or removal of CP Aderemi Adeoye from Anambra State Police Command as “Anambra CP.”

But, according to Adeoye, he was deliberately misquoted by some journalists who twisted his comment to imply that he told his officers to be killing people to keep Anambra safe.

He expressed displeasure with the publications and the tones of reactions from the various groups.

"Remember, I told you people at that Press Conference that I had earlier held a conference with the DPO’s, Area Commanders, and other top senior Police officers in the state.

"And, as I told you during that conference, I warned them against the two evils of extrajudicial killings and corruption. I told them that one DPO had already been removed on such allegations, and that I would not spare anyone involved in any of those twin evils in the State.

“So, how can I be warning the officers against extrajudicial killings, and somebody would say I am telling them to go and be killing people?

“Indeed, I don’t know why some people are like this and what they benefit from peddling lies and sensational comments. What exactly are they trying to achieve by indulging in such?”

The CP further said that he would not dissipate energy to go into further arguments with the groups or doing rejoinders and counter-rejoinders with them, as that would only amount to a distraction to his work.

“I am here to serve and secure the people, and I will not allow anything to distract my attention from that,” he added.

Concerning the call for his removal, the CP said that he was posted to Anambra State on the decision of the higher authorities and that he was also ready to leave if the higher authorities so decide, saying that he was not a sit-tight Commissioner.

“So, if the IGP decides to redeploy me, I will go, because I didn’t plant any bottle here and I am not here for pecuniary reasons. I am here to serve. …The IGP said Anambra was where I should go, believing in what I can do; and I am here to justify that confidence, by serving the people to the best of my ability.

"However, any day or anytime the IGP decides to redeploy me from Anambra State, I will also gladly go.

“So, for the people who are calling for my removal as Anambra CP because of what they said they saw in publications that misquoted me, nobody should think that being CP Anambra is the best thing to happen to my career; it is not. I’m here to serve with my whole heart, but any day I am transferred, I’ll leave,” CP Adeoye stressed.