The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Ahmed Abdulrahman, has warned policemen to avoid bribe or extortion stressing that such money was poisonous and capable of bringing bad luck.
Abdulrahman gave the warning in Nsukka while addressing men and officers of Police Area Command, Nsukka, during his familiarisation tour.
He said his administration would not spare any police officer found guilty of taking bribe as well as the collection of money for bail.
“The era of extortion, collection of money before doing your job or taking money before granting somebody bail is over, I will not condone such unprofessional practices.
“Some people erroneously believe that when a policeman collects illegal money from the public, he will give it to the Division Police Officer (DPO).
“According to them, DPO will give it to the Area Commander and area commander will give it to Commissioner of Police, that is a complete lie,’’ he said.
He said nobody should bring ‘brown envelop’ that is proceed of bribe to him because such is poisonous and brings bad luck.
“Bail is free, if any policeman collects money to bail anybody, the public should report that officer to me and he or she will be sanctioned.
“If somebody appreciates you willingly because of the excellent way you are doing your work, I am not against it.’’
Abdulrahman commended the sister security agencies and Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) who assisted him to bring to a halt the high rate of kidnapping and armed robbery in the state when he assumed office.
“I am happy Enugu State has returned to its former glory as the most peaceful state in the country.’’
The police commissioner urged residents of the state to embrace community policing, adding that that had become the main practice in every part of the world.
“Community policing is the main thing in every part of the world as it helps to build confidence and trust between police and the community,’’ he said.
The police boss promised to send more patrol vehicles to Nsukka Area Command to improve operation and logistics in the area.
The Chairman of (PCRC) in Enugu State, Mr Dom Ezema, commended the police commissioner for the visit in spite of his tight schedule.
Ezema, however, urged him to deploy more policemen to Nsukka senatorial zone to enable the command give maximum protection to people in the zone.
“Nsukka zone is more populated than any other zone in the state and as such, needs more policemen to protect lives and property in the area.
“PCRC will continue to support police in the Enugu State in ensuring good community relation with residents,’’ he said.
Earlier, Mr Omaru Ozigi, the Commander of Nsukka Police Area Command said that the command had keyed into the commissioner’s philosophy of no bribe no extorting.
He said the area command had ensured that any erring police officer is brought to book.
Ozigi told the commissioner that the ban of motorcycles in Nsukka town, from 8 p.m to 6 a,m, was to stop criminals who used motorcycles to commit crimes at night in the town.
“The ban is yielding good result since the enforcement started,’’ he said.
He also commended the commissioner for the visit and thanked him for promising to send more operational vehicles to Nsukka Police Area Command.
NAN reports that many stakeholders in Nsukka Local Government Area were present during the visit. (NAN)
