Officers’ killing: Police Commission wants Imo, Delta CPs sanctioned

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has demanded sanctions against the Commissioners of Police in Imo and Delta states over the recent killings of some police officers.

The commission decried that the killings in some states had become worrisome.

It called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take another look at the capacity of police commissioners at state commands.

It would be recalled that no fewer than six officers of the Nigeria Police Force were killed in an ambush that happened at Ohoro Forest, Ughelli North Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State at the weekend.

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Six other officers were declared missing in action.

In a related development, two policemen attached to MOPOL 18, Owerri, Imo State, were on Saturday killed by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The assailants threw dynamite at the police patrol van which the deceased officers were in at the Okigwe area of the state.

Reacting to the two incidents, the chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase, in a statement yesterday by the spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said sanctioning the two Commissioners of Police would serve as a deterrent for others who might be found wanting in future.

Arase, a retired Inspector-General of Police, condemned the new wave of killings of police officers on official duties.

He noted that these officers are also Nigerians who deserve the support, encouragement and protection of the citizens.

Arase emphasised that there must be consequences for what he described as “avoidable incidents”.

He said any state police commissioner found incompetent, derelict and operationally or tactically porous should be eased out to avoid “these huge police casualties.”

“I wish to condole the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, on this unfortunate developments especially at a time when all hands are supposed to be on deck to rid the nation of militancy and banditry.

“We have had more than a fair share of these ugly developments in recent time. I hereby call for an integrated intelligence policing,” Ani quoted the PSC chairman to have said.

The PSC chairman also commiserated with the families of the slain officers, noting that time has come for state command commissioners to rise up to the occasion.

He enjoined the serving officers not to be demotivated by the ugly developments but to re-enact their indomitable fighting spirit that the force is known for to ward-off the new wave of assaults.