Edo State Government, yesterday, presented cheques totaling N14 million to seven widows of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Also, the Government supported the education of each child of the fallen seven policemen with N500,000.
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who made the presentation yesterday said the security of lives and property is the irreducible minimum responsibility of every Government to the people.
The Governor who applauded the officers and men of the Nigeria Police, Edo State Command in their efforts to get rid of criminals in the State said “many now freely tell me more and more people were able to visit Benin City during the Christmas and New Year Celebrations.
“The ember months which used to represent a season where armed robbers are in control and very ordinary people are hiding, during the New Christmas and New year celebrations, the armed robbers were the ones hiding and our people were moving freely.
Governor Oshiomhole said “I believe that objectively speaking, you have made a difference by your conduct and your leadership style and by the way in which you have motivated your officers and men to do the job so that we may have the peace we always enjoy in the State.
“So I want to thank you, appreciate, commend and to counsel you to continue to do your best as the reward for hard work is more work.”
He said “whoever must work hard also desires to be compensated even harder by appropriate authority” maintaining that the Police work like several other types of work is a team work.
“The captain can inspire the officers and men to work. But every member of the team could be the source of the strength of the entire team, one member can also be the source of weakness”, he stressed.
He noted that “there is no country in the planet that is not grappling with one form of criminality”, acknowledging that the people only talk of the police when they record a failure but no one talkds of the successes recorded.
The Governor who sympathized with widows and children of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty said “it is the way we look after widows, those who were widowed in the course of their husband duty and those who are orphaned or fatherless in the course of their father’s work; how we treat them, more than what we say, will send the correct signals to those in uniform that whatever happens in the line of their duty, society appreciates.”
He said “crocodile tears will not suffice; we need concrete measures designed to alleviate their suffering, which cannot be equal to the loss of a loving husband or a caring father.
He however called on the Commissioner of Police Mr. Foluso Adebanjo to ensure the maintenance of vehicles and other equipment at the disposal of the police.
Earlier, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Foluso Adebanjo said the command under his control in the last one year has reduced crimes in the State to Zero tolerance.
He appreciated the support by the Comrade Governor in the fight against criminality and making the State unsafe for criminals.
While assuring the people of Edo state to go about their businesses, he maintained that hard time awaits any criminal caught in the State.
According to him, “they should relocate, repent or have themselves to blame”. He appealed for the provision of more vehicles to enhance police patrol in the State.
The fallen police officers are ASP Sunday Paul; Inspector Bakare Kong; Inspector Sunday Ewansiha; Inspector Akpada Michael; Sergeant Kennedy Ozegin; Corporal Timothy Edward and Inspector Paul Agbonavbare.
