Gov. Umahi rejects IGP's new Zoning

By Mbam Ogodo, Abakaliki

Ebonyi state government has rejected the Inspector general of police zoning that placed the people of Ebonyi state under Zone 13 with its headquarters at Ukpo, Anambra state.

Governor David Umahi announced this during the inauguration of the state Community Policing advisory committee and Community policing committee in Abakaliki.

The Governor said that he has a little disagreement with the Assistant Inspector General of Zone 13, stressing that Ebonyi as a state cannot belong to that zonal command.

He recalled that he moved Ebonyi people from Calabar, Zone 6 to Zone 9 with the head office at Umahia and now according to him Ebonyi has been sent to zone 13 in Anambra.

Umahi decried the condition of road, the level of insecurity coupled with the fact that the people surrounding the area are money bags which makes it difficult for people in Ebonyi to cope with the trend of things there.

"I have a little disagreement with the AIG, zone 13 in Awka; we cannot belong to Awka. You must know your level to succeed in life.

"I moved our people from Calabar into Umuahia, I don't know who smuggled us back to Awka; I have no idea, we cannot be in Awka.

"One, the road; two, insecurity, our people going there; three is so much money around that place, we don't have. Let us be in Umuahia with our little money.

We are in Umuahia, we cannot go to Nnewi", Umahi concluded.

In his remarks, the Inspector General of Police who was represented by Deputy Inspector General in charge of Information Communication Technology, DIG Celestine Okoye explained that the need for community policing has become imperative in that it will enhance security at the hinterland.

DIG Okoye also said that it will assist the police to get enough information adding that some of the minor issues which are civil in nature can be handled through community policing which will give the police enough opportunity to face their work.

He charged the community to ensure that they select good members of the society to do the job bearing in mind that if they select criminals, the community will be in trouble.

The highlight of the occasion was the inauguration of members of the state Community policing advisory committee and Community policing committee.