A group in Ekpeye land in Rivers State under the aegis of Concerned Ekpeye Indigenes have commended the new Commissioner of Police in Rivers State CP Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka for tackling insecurity in the state since assumption of office, especially the redeployment of the former Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ahoada Police Division Mr Chukwuekwu Uweagha who according to the group supported and aided the high level of insecurity in Ekpeye during his tenure.
In a letter addressed to the CP and signed by the chairman of the group, they accused the DPO of being familiar with the criminal gangs terrorizing the area and using his office to coordinate the activities of the criminals who commit various high degree crimes such as murder, assassinations, kidnapping, raping, pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering which according to the group, is the reason why DPO Chuks as popularly known, has not been able to arrest any of the criminals despite the indiscriminate killings within Ahoada and Ekpeye but instead he uses his office to provide cover for them.
According to the group, some assassinations such as killing of a UK trained lawyer, Barr Nathan Akatakpo at Ahoada on 22nd November 2022, killing of 9 persons in Abarikpo village on the 14th December 2022, killing of 5 persons in Ahoada town on the 6th November 2022, killing of 10 persons in Ikata village on the 14th February 2023, killing of 5 persons in Ochigba village on the 30th December 2022, raping of a married woman on 12th February 2023 to death at Abarikpo, killing of the Youth President of Abarikpo community on 4th May 2023, killing of 6 persons at Odhiereke community on 2nd June 2023 and many more were not investigated nor any arrests made by DPO Chukwuekwu till date.
The group accused the former DPO of abandoning his duties and keeping a permanent suite at the Tropicana Hotels, Ahoada, where he abuses underaged girls and other immoral activities. The group equally informed the CP that evidences abound that in most cases, the criminals call in to inform the DPO to keep his men off some target areas until they perfect their operations and that under SP Chukwuekwu, crime rate in Ahoada became prevalent that threatened the commencement of academic activities at the Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University due the daily assassination and other crimes going on at Ahoada as students are scared of coming to Ahoada and those already on admission have started withdrawing from the school.
They emphasized that the Ahoada police under SP Chukwuekwu restricted themselves to Ahoada town alone with no effectiveness, leaving the rural areas vulnerable and at the mercy of the criminals to operate freely with many communities now paying huge sums of money to the hoodlums who threaten to sack the community if such amounts are not paid.
They urged the CP to set up a panel to investigate the activities of the former DPO, especially the assassinations under his watch without a single arrest and not to deploy the DPO to any station as he is bound to aggravate and worsen security situation in such area for his selfish interests.