…Call On IGP For Help
From Mba Nnenna – Abakaliki
Traders at the Integrated Building Material, (IBM) market have expressed worry over the continuous extortion, harassment by the police
The President of the Union, Mr Fidelis Onyibe Onwe aka Fidlink, disclosed this to press men during an interview at the Building Material site along Onueke road, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state.
Onwe while expressing worry over the activities of the police stationed after Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, ICC, said they’ve lost all their customers.
He stated that from the past administration when they moved to the new site, traders have been facing this challenges till date.
“We’ve lost all our customers because of the police, customers will move from town to come and patronise us, they will delay them for 4/5hrs, what they do is to turn back, go and buy those things inside the town, so this place is collapsing.
“When you get to the check point, you see several cars, motorcycle parked. We are losing our customers, some no longer come here to buy goods because of the harassment.
The traders however call on the Inspector General of Police to wade into the matter and avoid total collapse of their business.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the PPRO Ebonyi state Police Command SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya dated December 7, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Augustina Ogbodo, while reacting to a press statement on Facebook by the Chairman Human Rights Defenders HURIDE, over alleged human right abuses and extortion, said that the command will not tolerate such and any officer found wanting, will face the full wrath of the law.
The statement reads in part;
“First and foremost, the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Augustina Ogbodo, psc has zero tolerance for Extortion, incivility to members of the public, unlawful arrest and detention and lastly brutality to the civil populace, and has made it known in her numerous engagements and interactions with members of the public.
“The allegations contained in the press statements were never at any point in time either reported to the Police Public Relations Office or to the Commissioner of Police”, it added.
