C’River community kicks against dubious police signpost.

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

The Kasuk II Qua Clan in Calabar Municipality has kicked against dubious police signposts which have been erected in at least 10 locations within the area.

The signposts which were erected in the community out of the blue over the weekend excited the curiosity of the community as  they had no prior knowledge of its origin.

The signposts which are suspected to have been erected by some armed uniformed men had no reference number or police logo  and largely located on different locations  along the Goodluck Jonathan Bypass which is in the Kasuk II  Qua Clan.

Community members  comprising youths, elders and other residents, came out in their numbers with their  placards and moved along the Bypass protesting against the erection of the signposts.

They   said as law abiding citizens, they don’t want to take the laws into their hands and demanded an end to the illegal erection of the signposts  while calling on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter.

Addressing newsmen during the protest along the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by pass on Monday , a  youth leader in the community, Edet  Okon Ayito, Said they saw the post some days ago and were surprised because of the inscription it carried.

He questioned the credibility of the signboard and called for comprehensive investigation by the Inspector General of Police.

“Some days ago , we saw strange signpost with very disturbing information allegedly  mounted by  police order , it is strange because the land in question is our community land and there are litigations that are yet to be resolved.

“What is more disturbing is the fact that we have so many judgement in our favour in the case while the aspect that are yet to be determined have remained in higher court waiting to be concluded , but our dismay , we dint know how our brother from the other community the police order they are using and inscribing on signpost and mounting all over the place.

“We don’t even know if it is Nigerian Police,  military police or naval police, we have not seen any police logo or colour on this board neither was there any reference number to that effect, the only thing we saw was an appeal suit number CA/ C/ 158/ 2019 which completely has nothing to do with the portion of land where the various signpost with an order of police were mounted.

“We don’t know what this stands for because if there are cases in court between parties, the police can never be the judge, everyone must wait till Judgement is given by the court and not by the police, and we wonder why they are doing all this now that courts are on vacation.

“This is Goodluck Jonathan Bypass and we have two judgments which declared us the owners of this bypass.

“We call on government to come and intervene in this matter before it goes out of hand or lead to communal crisis  he said.

Also speaking, HRH Ntoe Ededem Okon Ayito, Clan Head of Kasuk Qua Clan 11 and Village Head of Etab Ayuk Village in Calabar Municipality who spoke on the incident described the erection of the various signposts in his domain as an anomaly 

He said the action is not only fraudulent but criminal and called on the Inspector General of police to order an investigation into the action.

He said the community has won several judgments over the land in question  issue and those who carried out the action are bringing the image of the police authorities into disrepute.

“It’s a shocking incident because we saw a signpost being mounted that police have instructed my tenants to pull out of where they are living.

“I have carefully looked at those signposts and there is no police logo there,  this is why the community is protesting so that the inspector general of police will be aware of what people are using his name to do as police.

“Police cannot grant ownership of lands and it is only the court that can give that order and it will be executed by the police.

“Those tenants there have their approvals from the Cross River State government and have been there for twenty days or more.

“How can somebody out a signboard there and claim it is the police that is doing so.

“The suit number there is in a case pending before the supreme Court and a decision has not been taken.

“I want the Inspector General of Police  to do a  proper investigation of those people that put that signpost because they are spoiling the name of the police, this is a fraudulent act and the IG should be aware of it.

“The people doing this thing should be prosecuted because they are soiling the name and image of the police force”, he said.

“We are a peace loving people and a law abiding community , we don’t want war , we don’t want any crisis , hence we are appealing to the Inspector General of Police to urgently look into the matter before it degenerates into something else,” Ntoe Ededem appealed.

He added that he was certified a village head in 2003 and clan Head in 2015, and is  very conversant with his boundaries in the community having reigned for about twenty years.

Reacting to the development, DSP Irene Ugbo , the Police Public Relations Officer said the  Cross River state Police Command is not aware of any signpost , because we are not the court that can give such a decision or Judgement , we are not aware of such , we don’t get involved in land matters whatsoever .

“The act could be perpetrated by civilians but I can assure that the Police is not and cannot be involved in such”, she said.