Human Rights Activist calls for Redeployment of CP by IGP
Amid the rising tide of insecurity in Anambra, human rights activist Osita Obi has called for the immediate redeployment of the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam.
Obi’s demand comes in light of what he described as the CP’s failure to effectively address the persistent security challenges plaguing the state.
In recent weeks, Anambra has witnessed a series of violent incidents, including the brutal killings of 16 people in Nibo during the New Yam festival, just steps away from the Police headquarters.
The following day, nine more lives were lost in Awka, with additional reports of kidnappings and other violent crimes. Most recently, on Monday, armed gunmen—allegedly enforcing the banned sit-at-home order—killed five individuals and wounded several others.
Obi pointed out that the frequency and scale of these incidents cannot be separated from the performance of the police.
“There is no way to absolve the police from what is happening,” he said.
“If the police are unable to control the situation, it speaks to a lack of leadership and strategy at the top.”
The activist stressed the urgent need for decisive action to restore peace and security in the state, proposing that a leadership change at the police command could be the critical first step in tackling the ongoing crisis.
He said: “The truth of the matter is that the Anambra State Police Command under CP Itam is incompetent and clueless, and I am asking the IGP to redeploy him from Anambra State immediately.
“He shouldn’t wait until all of us die. You get to a bank and you see policemen carrying guns standing in front of the bank and making themselves available for targeting. The same thing happens at checkpoints where they expose themselves while extorting motorists.
“When the hoodlums come, they get them easily because they are not focused on the job they were asked to do.
“Today, the major work of the Police in the state is to settle land disputes. What is the correlation between the job of the police which is the security of lives and land disputes,” he queried.
He expressed frustration that, despite the numerous attacks in the state, none have been fully investigated, and no perpetrators have been apprehended or held accountable.
However, he countered claims that the police have not been adequately supported with equipment by the state government, urging critics to ask the former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderemi Adeoye, about the resources he used to successfully combat crime just months before his retirement.
