*Residents doubt ability and forthrightness of the Police
By John Odogwu, Awka
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Mr Echeng Echeng, has directed the immediate enforcement of the suspension of all toll collections in the state.
But the residents have dobted the ability of the Police to effectively carry out this directive, given the huge disappointment they have become in the enforcement and keeping of rules.
CP Echeng gave the order at a meeting with Heads of Tactical Units, Divisional Police Officers, and Heads of Departments across the state Command in Awka on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Chukwuma Soludo had, in his inaugural address on Thursday, suspended all tolls and placed total ban on illegal collections along the roads and at motor parks across the state.
Soludo said all existing revenue collection contracts stood revoked until a new template that would address leakages would be released in a month’s time.
NAN reports that contrary to the directive of the governor, some youths were still collecting tolls from tricycle and shuttle bus operators in the capital city, Awka, and those who refused to part with money got physically assaulted by touts.
Echeng told the officers to ensure strictly that there was no touting and activities of self-acclaimed revenue collectors in the State.
“All unscrupulous elements who engage in touting and other unlawful acts are warned to desist forthwith as the Command, under my watch, in collaboration with heads of sister agencies, has deployed personnel across the state.
“We shall arrest and bring to justice anyone caught flouting this order.
“We reaffirm the commitment of the Command towards crime prevention, restoration of law and order and enjoin law-abiding residents of the State to be vigilant and security conscious at all times.
“You are encouraged to report all suspicious movements to the Police or, in case of any emergencies, to call 112 or 07039194332 for an immediate response,” he said.
But the residents of the state doubted the ability and commitment of the police to enforce the ban.
According to those interviewed, “the police are the worst violators of even the directives of their boss, the Inspector-General of Police.
“They collect bribes, ask for huge sums of money for bail of suspects, even for domestic dispute.
“They flagrantly have lent themselves to be used by money bags to whimsical abuse the rights of citizens.
“They are a terror rather than law enforcers or friend of the people, most of the respondents echoed.
They also wondered how the CP intends to implement the directive, adding that he was just trying to remove the touts and place his officers in the same spot.
“Knowing the low integrity among policemen nationwide and their propensity to shamelessly not keep to the rules, it is better we pay the touts than hand over the same money to the police.
“Those touts come from within our environment. If you report them, the police will turn around and arrest you. So, why not retain our own folks to be dealing with us than people who we don’t know where they came from to now use official guns to extort us?
“If the CP want to sanitise the society, let him start with enforcement of illegal toll collection by the police across the state.
“If he can’t do this or it seems he is not interested in doing so. Or there appears to be a hanky-panly on the directive, a kind of removing the dog and bringing the pig to do same thing, what then will be the difference.
“This time, some people will be killed by these same policemen while collecting their own tolls. We don’t want police to enforce anything. They have lost credibility and integrity,” said Chief Johnson Amaonye, leader of one of the markets in Onitsha.
His counterparts in Awka, Ekwulobia, Nnewi, Uga, Oko, Amawbia, Nkpor, Ojoto and Awkuzu, were in agreement with his statements.
Civil servants who do not want to be named also towed the same line of thought, stressing that the police are the worst agency to be asked to enforce such a directive.
