By Chuks Eke
Stakeholders of Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State have decried the sudden transfer of Rabiu Garba, a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Divisional Police Officer, DPO in-charge of Fegge Police Division, to the Central Police Station, CPS, Onitsha.
The stakeholders in a press statement issued yesterday in Onitsha, said they would miss Garba, whom they identified as a fine officer, having served as the DPO of Fegge Police Division for the past nine years during which he maintained watertight security in all parts of Fegge and its environs.
In the press statement jointly signed by High Chief Dede Uzor A Uzor and Mazi Chika Udemadu, the stakeholders said apart from maintaining adequate security in the area since he assumed duty as Fegge DPO in February 2014, nine years ago, Garba has been able to unify the residents Fegge in partucular and people of Onitsha South council area in general.
Uzor and Udemadu contended that since Garba went to the extent of recovering dangerous weapons. Including Ak-47 riffles, among other weapons of death from dare-devil bandits, peace and security have become the order of the day in the area.
According to the stakeholders, “As a lawyer, Garba is one of the few police officers who carries out his legitimate duties with human face. He doesn’t extort suspects. He maintained Bail-is-free policy. He doesn’t maltreat or abuse peoples’ human rights. He listens to the suspects in police custody with rapt attention and those of them found culpable would be charged to court without long detention and others not found guilty would be released without further delay”.
“His human rights posture and friendly disposition to law abiding citizens earned him a loveable police officer and at the same time attracted huge developmental projects to the Division which include a borehole with an overhead tank and water reservoir donated by Transglobe Pharmaceuticals Limited. He virtually turned around Fegge Police Station. He also constructed offices for officers in different departments”.
“Garba built fence, mosque, church, and other facilities for young people, especially Lawn Tennis Court”, said the stakeholders”.
They recalled that part of Garba’s major achievements were the concrete flooring of the entire Fegge Police Station premises, the building of a six-room block to house newly transferred Police Officers who always found it difficult to get accommodation, provision of a big Mikano generating set, winning Interface Hero award for three consecutive years which earned him different Hilux Vans which he in turn donated to the Division.
The Stakeholders said Garba has won over 1,050 different awards from various groups and individuals and kept an open-door policy which made him accessible to many while he was in Fegge.
Describing Garba as a philanthropist par excellence whom they said they greatly missed as a result of his transfer, the stakeholders said he was known for using his salary to sponsor less privileged members of the society.
“We therefore urge his successor and new Fegge DPO, CSP Ifeanyi Iburu, the youngest CSP who left CPS for Garba, to take a cue from Garba and work for the security of lives of the people of Onitsha South including adopting bail is free policy introduced by Garba in Fegge Division”.
“We urge the new DPO to disregard a policy of ceasing people’s phones at the station gate and adopt the same open-door policy introduced by Garba. We also assure him of our adequate support” said the stakeholders.
The stakeholders commended the state Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye for swapping Garba with another visionary officer like Iburu between Fegge and CPS Divisions all in Onitsha.
