C’River: IPAC demands immediate redeployment of  police commissioner, deputy

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

The Cross River State chapter of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC)  has demanded the immediate redeployment of the state Police Commissioner, Sule Balarabe  and  the Deputy Police Commissioner in Charge of Operations, Francis Idu.

IPAC is making this demand  because of the current state of insecurity in the state and  their fraternity with some politicians.

Anthony Bissong Attah, the state chairman of the IPAC stated  this during a briefing in Calabar on Monday.

According to him, “you will recall that we passed a vote of no confidence and further asked for the redeployment of the commissioner of police, CP Sule Balarabe  and the deputy commissioner of police operations, DCP Francis Idu.

“In the light of the current security situation in our dear state, it has become even more urgent to reinforce our call for the redeployment of these police henchmen.

‘It is now evident that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force lacks capacity to enforce law and order in our state.

“The spate of kidnapping, robbery and killings in our highways is totally unacceptable and we have found a dangerous and unabating weakness in the operations department headed by DCP Francis Idu.

“It is worrisome to note that while the military officials on the Ugep-Uyangha axis of the Ikom- Calabar highway are busy doing their job professionally, men of the Nigeria Police are busy extorting motorists.”

He also knocked the police hierarchy in the state for deserting party chairmen, ward chairmen and youth leaders of the 54 political wards of Cross River North in faraway Ogoja.

He disclosed that having convened the said meeting, “the height of the police on reaching Ogoja deserted us and rather held a meeting with a group of politicians in the North and deliberately refused to convene for the scheduled meeting.

“With the current state of insecurity in the state where a serving commissioner for women Affairs has been kidnapped for about a week now, we have elected not to work with the current leadership of the police command because we don’t know what they plan to do in the coming elections.”

He also faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to allow them inspect the BIVAS machines as demanded.

He said the only way they can trust the commission going forward is to inspect the machines and also taking record of the IMEI of all the 3281 machines.

Head of Voters Education of INEC, Cross River State, Anthonia Nwobi said, “I am in a meeting, can’t really say anything now. INEC is not IPAC.

In his reaction to the issue in a telephone discussion, the state Commissioner of Police CP  said, “I don’t want to join any issue with anybody. 

“I am only doing my job as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I am not corrupt and I am not going to join issues with any one. I am only concerned  with the safety and security of the people of the state,” he said.

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