No Hiding Place for Criminals
By Anthony Akaeze
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Ibe Aghanya, Commissioner of Police in Kogi Stae, earns the support and trust of the people by keeping criminals out of the state.
Kogi, today, is a largely peaceful state. Before now, the security situation was scary, with cases of violent robbery attacks recorded across the state. But since Ibe Aghanya took over as state police commissioner, the expressway linking Lokoja, the state capital and Okene with Edo State and the federal capital territory, for instance which was a particularly notorious highway, famous for frequent robbery attacks now enjoys a respite. Hardly did a week pass then without Nigerians getting to hear of robbery incident there, leading to loss of lives and serious injuries in some cases. The road was a nightmare.
But all that has changed now. And it is to Aghanya's credit that the highway is today considered by many travellers as largely safe, devoid of the frightening tales of the past.
That is not all. Lokoja, the state capital itself, has one of the lowest crime rates in the country. In Lokoja today, apart from the regular police patrol, there's also what is called motorcycle patrol. This enables policemen to get to even the remotest areas within the town, which ordinarily would be difficult to access with police patrol vans. The result of all these is that the security situation in Kogi State had long improved.
But the man who made it possible shies away from taking credit for it. " For the fact that I'm still around in Kogi, it would not be proper to assess myself. It would be better if you ask members of the public," he replied, in reaction to the question on how it feels to be credited with such achievements. But Aghanya does not shy away from talking about the Police itself.
The Police, he notes, works with information and this requires the assistance of the public. That, in a sense, is the source of his success. " When I came in here, I felt there was the need to reach out to the people and earn their confidence. I told them that we are not here to exploit them or brutalise or arrest them unlawfully." This worked. "We were able to build friendship and the confidence they have in us is such that they started giving us information. I have good informants in the state. I gave out my phone numbers and that of my PPRO. They call us from all parts of the state and I enjoy the cooperation of the people."
As an experienced policeman, Aghanya is aware of the deprivation and neglect associated with members of the force. So he thought it necessary to inspire the rank and file under him by ensuring that their allowances were paid as and when due. He also does not hesitate to recommend deserving officers for promotion. These, have, no doubt helped to bring out the best in his officers.
Yet, there's another reason why many police officers in Kogi State are happy today. Aghanya is working hard to ensure that policemen are able to own their own accommodation. There is a plan on ground to procure land in an exclusive part of Lokoja, for the purpose of building houses for policemen. This novel idea, will no doubt delight many people including non-policemen whose impression of police abodes is nothing short of the dilapidated barracks scattered in virtually all parts of the country. " We started a housing scheme in the GRA area that will give us 383 bedroom houses on owner-occupier basis. The construction is going on now within the GRA. We want the policemen also to live in the GRA. You know they are usually not associated with places like the GRA. But in Kogi State, we intend to make the policemen live in the GRA by acquiring that land which is close to Government House. If you come here in six months time, you will see a beautiful estate for the Nigeria Police."
It is also to Aghanya's credit that families of people who lost their lives in active service within the state are honoured and rewarded. The families get compensated from their insurance covers and also from a commitment for educational sponsorship from the government.
The son of a policeman himself, Aghanya's passion for the force is such that he would want to see only competent and qualified people recruited into the police. He knows that the quality of people, who make up an organisation, to a large extent, determines the quality of output. The Police should be neither a dumping ground for people who failed to measure up elsewhere, or an institution people get into because of those they know.
A Master degree holder in Public Administration, Aghanya had served as commissioner of Police in Benue and Ekiti States before his current assignment in Kogi. In recognition of his outstanding achievement as a crime buster, the African Independent Television, AIT honoured him as the best CP in the North in 2007.
|
