By Princely Onyenwe, Imo
The apex youth body of the Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), wish to bring the attention of the public to the launching of “Operation Stop Army and Police Robbery” in Igboland.
Speaking to newsmen in Enugu on Sunday 7th Feb. 2021, through the national president, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, after its National Working Committee meeting, the Council revealed that the Nigeria police and army personnel usually give bribe to their senior officers in order to be posted to states in the South-South and South-East regions.
“This evil act of paying a heavy bribe to police and army senior officers to be deployed or posted in strategic locations in Igbo land, must cease henceforth or they will meet their waterloo.
“To operatives of the Nigeria police and army, the checkpoint in Alaigbo is very lucrative, as they subject drivers to all kinds of humiliation, torture, harassment and intimidation, robbing motorists using the instrument of their uniforms and guns,” Comrade Igboayaka revealed.
OYC specifically urged the Inspector General of Police and Chief of Army Staff to immediately withdraw those criminals on uniform at Owerri-Portharcourt expressway, Owerri-Onitsha expressway, Okigwe Afikpo road, Owerri-Onitsha express road etc whose duties is now to rob motorists and extort from hundred to two hundred Naira from them at the checkpoints under gunpoint.
OYC has resolved to deal ruthlessly, any police or army personnel caught in Igboland robbing motorists. Therefore, the Council urged Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Hope Uzodinma, Nyesom Wike, Willie Obiano, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Dave Umahi, Ifeanyi Okowa to wade into the matter before it is too late.
The Council stated that it had mapped out every plan to teach army and police how to be disciplined in discharging their duties, stressing that any army or police who cannot resist the urge of demanding or collecting bribes and robbing from motorists should quietly resign from the force, otherwise the risks of ending his life through the robbing of motorists is inevitable.
Comrade Igboayaka lamented that hundreds of youths of Igbo extraction have lost their lives in the hands of these criminal police and army personnel at the slightest provocation while extorting and robbing money from them at various checkpoints in Igbo land.
“Resign now if you can’t avoid taking bribe or robbing motorists on the highways in Igbo land or we ruthlessly engage you while robbing. Comrade,” Igboayaka urges Nigeria police and army officers posted in Igbo land.
There is no robbing or extortion of motorist on the highways in the Northern Nigeria, police and army grown wings in Igbo land, but we assure them, we will cut their wings this time, enough of this long-aged humiliation and open robbing, Igboayaka stated.
OYC urged Chief of Army Staff and the IG of Police to always post their most disciplined and well-behaved police and army personnel to Igbo land or Igbo youths will contend with those criminals on uniform.
This press release was signed by Chukwuemeka Chimerue,
Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to OYC National President.
9News Nigeria (Owerri)
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