The new Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr Okon Effiong, declared war on crime and all social vices in the state as he assumed office on Wednesday.
Nigerian Tribune reported that he made the declaration during a brief with journalists at the Police headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
He vowed to deal with human rights violators, stressing that anyone found guilty of the offence would be made to face the wrath of the law.
CP Effiong, the 43rd commissioner of Police in Rivers also warned any person intending to disturb the state of its relative peace to desist from such action, promising to take the battle to the hideouts of suspected criminals in the state.
He said: “No society wants to be at the same point for too long. Rivers state has paid the dues and deserves peace. From this moment it shall be more proactive policing than reactive policing.
“We will take the battle to them. Those who desire that the people of Rivers state should not have peace will themselves will not have peace. So we will take the battle to them and smoke them out of their hideouts.
“I request that peradventure there are people who still feel indulgence in criminality is profitable, I want to assure you that it is not. Now is the best time to come out of crime and other social vices because Rivers state will not provide a place for you to do what you want to do.
“We must meaningfully engage in such activities that will contribute to the growth and development of Rivers state. So it’s time out for criminals. It is time for us to emplace everything that is necessary to guarantee peace in the state”.
He added, that the country is in a democratic dispensation, and he an advocate of human rights preservation, will do everything possible to ensure that the human rights of individuals are not violated.
“Where there are instances of violation, I request that you should furnish us with the relevant information so that whatever we need to checkmate we are able to do it at the right time.”, he said.
Effiong noted that the government has invested much in security, saying that the Inspector General of Police, Usman Akali Baba, has charged him to deliver on every aspect of the policy agenda for the entire nation.
He then called on the support of stakeholders and individuals in Rivers to ensure that the state remains peaceful and free of all levels of vices, stressing that Rivers State has been relatively peaceful compared with a lot of other states, encouraging a unanimous effort in trying the much as they possibly can within the level of safety and peace in the state.
He, however, asserted that “… as a person, it is my responsibility to harness all the potentials within the system to make sure that we go beyond the level of peace that has already been achieved.
“If we are not able to go beyond that level it means we will be operating at the level of stagnancy and when we operate at that level we will hit a marginal point and performance will begin to drop. But under my watch, we will not allow performance to drop.
“The government has invested so much in security. You will agree with me that without security there would not be sustainable development. So as much as it is practically possible, we will ensure that the investment of the government and people of Rivers state in security is not wasted”.
Effiong is the immediate past Commandant, Police College Oji River, Enugu State. From there he was redeployed to the State as the 43rd Commissioner of Police Rivers State.
