Anambra : Drop politics, focus on trade,- CP urges Onitsha residents

…..lauds Onitsha Police Area Commander

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

The Anambra State Police Commissioner, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has urged business men and women in the area to drop politics and focus on trade and commerce that they are known for.

He made the urge during his familiarization tour of Onitsha Police Area Command, the CP recalled that in those days people came from neighbouring countries like Niger, Cameroun, Chad, Benin, among others to buy and sell Onitsha.

He lamented that it is because everyone in Onitsha sees politics as easy means of getting rich quick that the people abandoned trade and commerce that was major source of income and focus on politics.

He expressed satisfaction with the officers and men of Onitsha Police Area Command and urged the people in the area to continue to give the Police Area Commander, Chidi Nzota, massive cooperation and information towards criminals in the area, assuring that the identity of such informants will be protected. 

“Because of Nzota things are getting better in Onitsha. The Area Commander has been doing wonderfully well,” CP stated.

The CP commended the people in the state for shunning the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest adding that the people in the state are known for trade and commerce and will not leave their business to embark on protest.

“I was called from Abuja and asked about the situation in Anambra regarding the protest and I replied that Anambrarians do not involve themselves in such protest. 

Anambra people know where they are going in terms of security. Anambra people have become wiser. Buying and selling is the business of Anambra people.

“I have urged the people let us remove our hands from politics and focus on business. Onitsha is the largest trading post in west Africa. People come from Cameroon, Niger, Benin, among others to buy and sell in Onitsha. 

“In Onitsha we also have Hausa, yorubas, TVs, Calabar, Efic, and other tribes . If you are in Onitsha as a police man and you don’t get problem from Onitsha drug, (Ogbogwu) market, then you thank your God because they are part of the problems in Onitsha.

“Let us declare that there is no more sit-at-home in Anambra, people are suffering and Onitsha is gradually losing its fame. People no longer talk of Onitsha because of politics.

” I plead to Onitsha traders to open their shops and forget about negative stories that make them not to open their shops.”

“Thank God that chairman of Onitsha Main market, Hon. Chijioke Okpalaugo is here, Security is assured. We are working with Agunaechemba and we also train them on security issues,” CP revealed.

In his own contribution, the Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on security matters, Chinenye Ihenkor (a.k.a. Okpompi) expressed satisfaction with Onitsha Area Commander, Nzota, stating that he has been very cooperative with Agunaechemba.

He described the Anambra State CP, Orutugu as the father of the Agunaechemba disclosing that for 28 years, “I have led so many operations in this job of security. 

Anambra is calm now for a year, Onitsha is a sensitive place and God uses the Onitsha police Area Commander to calm it, no complaints from Onitsha for the past eight months now, courtesy of Nzota,” Okponkpi stated.

Expressing satisfaction with the CP’s visit, the chairman of Onitsha Main market, Chijioke Okpalaugo, commended the  CP for assuring security in the state especially on Mondays that is regarded as sit-at-home disclosing that he will ensure that markets open on Mondays.

He paid glowing tribute to the Onitsha Police Area Commander for his efforts in ensuring security in the area recalling that formerly the state was almost taken over by criminals especially Onitsha and expressed satisfaction as security has been restored.

In his response, the host, Nzota, thanked the CP for his visit despite his tight schedules and prayed God to continue to guide and protect him as he performs his legitimate duty in the state.

Nzota disclosed that, “Upon my assumption of duty as the Onitsha police Area Commander I met a very unfortunate and negative security situation on ground. Such that residents were closing shops and rushing home before 6pm.

As an empirical panacea, logistics and personnel resources were pulled from the divisions and my office , to constitute a semi mobile but tactical formation that I christened “Convoy Patrol.”

“Within two weeks of the life of this convoy Patrol and community engagements, crime rate in Onitsha drastically reduced and night life returned,” he revealed.

Nzota however, urged the CP to assist the Onitsha Police Area Commander with Patrol vehicles, personnel, especially rank and file.

He lauded the CP for his efforts in reducing crimes and criminality in the state adding that he (Nzota) is elevated by the CP’s physical presence in the Onitsha Police Area Command to ascertain the real situation.