As Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, launched the Violent Crimes Response Unit (VCRU) as a replacement for previous tactical teams in the Force, the Cross River State Command has established a civilian oversight board to promote transparency.
The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, who also inaugurated the state’s VCRU squad and dissolved the Rapid Response Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Squad, and Anti-Cultism Squad, said the board would serve to strengthen transparency.
Afegbua disclosed that the Cross River State Civilian Oversight Board has Ntui Ogar as Chairman, Remi Aduga as Vice Chairman, legal practitioner Thompson Saviour as Secretary, while Emmanuel Olayi, the state chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, is a member.
He explained, “The board, composed of civil society, traditional, legal, and community leaders, will provide civilian visibility into the general conduct and community impact of the VCRU and channel public feedback to me as the CP. The board will meet bi-annually; it is not a disciplinary body.”
To the VCRU, Afegbua charged them to, “Uphold professionalism, discipline, integrity and have respect for human rights. I hereby announce the dissolution of all existing Squads in the Command and announce the establishment of the Violent Crimes Response Unit (VCRU).”
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The CP further explained that the action taken was in line with the IGP’s dedication “to transform the Nigeria Police Force to an institution that Nigerians can trust, respect and rely upon for their safety.”
He said that the unit would provide swift, intelligence-led and professional responses covering the northern (Ikom/Ogoja) and central (Akamkpa/Ugep) axes, with its operational base at the State Command Headquarters in Calabar.
The Cross River State VCRU has Chief Superintendent of Police Titus Udofia as its commander, who was appointed following a rigorous screening and training exercise supervised by the Police Commissioner and the command’s management team, chaired by DCP Abubakar Ibrahim.
According to Afegbua, members of the unit were trained on human rights, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, UN principles on the use of force, and other constitutional rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The police commissioner noted that members of the new tactical unit would “wear prescribed uniforms with VCRU insignia during standard operations, while plain clothes and unmarked vehicles may be used only for authorised undercover assignments. Arrests and detention must comply fully with Section 35 of the Constitution and the ACJA 2015.”
While urging public support for policing through timely and credible information, the CP appealed to the state government for additional support to sustain command facilities, equipment, vehicles, and personnel welfare.
