The Police Commissioner in Cross River State, southern Nigeria, Rashid Afegbua, has reiterated his commitment to reduce criminalities across the eighteen local government areas.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Cross River Command, Irene Ugbo indicated that Mr. Afegbua was speaking following the arrest of suspected abductors in Calabar, the state capital.
According to the commissioner, the gang of kidnappers were intercepted and the victim rescued after an exchange of gunfire.
He attributed the success achieved to the timely sharing of information, saying “following a tipoff, the Divisional Police Officer of Uwanse and the surveillance team intercepted a gang of kidnapping syndicate while attacking and attempting to kidnap one 38 year old male survivor in Calabar South.
“However, on sighting the police, the gang opened fire and after an exchange they were successfully over powered and taken into custody. We have commenced investigations and the suspects would face the full weight of the law,” he stated.
Afegbua, in the statement, reiterated that his mandate was to leave no stone unturned in the fight against any form of criminalities, “let me warn all criminal elements or groups, who feel that they can operate in Cross River State. My mandate here is to reduce crime to the nearest minimum. I guarantee you, the command will not rest on its oars to succeed in that mandate.”
The Police Commissioner appealed to residents of Cross River to provide useful and timely information to the police and pledge synergy with other security agencies to uphold law, order and promote peace across the state.
He emphasized that investigation was heightened to apprehend the other accomplices, who fled from the police surveillance team.
The command, he added, recovered some arms and ammunitions left behind by the fleeing accomplices.
Olusola Akintonde