The Ebonyi State Police Command said it has initiated a disciplinary action against one of its officers operating a tricycle business during which he engaged in an altercation with his passengers and brandished his service rifle.
The action of the officer which was captured in a viral video on the social media has received wide condemnations among residents of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital and other Facebook users.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Joshua Ukandu, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, said the Command strongly condemned the officer’s actions as violation of the ethics and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Nigeria Police Force.
He noted that the officer involved has been identified, and an investigation has commenced, stating that disciplinary actions have already been initiated against him.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, assures residents of Ebonyi State that the Command has zero tolerance for indiscipline and unprofessional conduct from its officers and they will be held accountable for their actions,” the statement noted.
Meanwhile, some residents of Abakaliki the Ebonyi State capital have called on the police commissioner to restrict officers of the command from carrying arms while engaging in other businesses.
A human right activist, Comrade Chukwuma Egwu also decried the activities of some police officers, and called on the CP to set up a taskforce that will ensure that his men do not carry or brandish arms while off duty.
He described the viral video incident as just one out of many incidents of men of the command brandishing arms while engaging in other businesses like operating motorcycles, popularly known as ‘Okada’, and tricycles, also known as ‘Keke’, especially at night.
Egwu said some police officers will place their rifles in front of the motorcycles and still be picking and dropping passengers at different locations while some visit drinking joints at night, “You will see police officers with their rifles consuming several bottles of alcoholic drinks.”
He stressed the need to check the activities of the officers to forestall accidental discharge. “If they must engage in Okada or Keke business or refresh themselves, they should drop their rifles at the station. It’s dangerous to carry arms to joints to drink alcohol.”
