From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

Security, they say, is everybody’s business. This aphorism was put into practice last week when a new police station built by Ezinihitte Mbaise Stakeholders Forum, in collaboration with Mbaise Global Foundation, was handed over to the Imo State Police Command.

The new police division sited in Eke Itu, in Ezinihitte Mbaise, in Itu Ezinihitte, Mbaise LGA of Imo State, has also a mini barracks attached to it. Located within the premises, it serves as living quarters for officers of the division. Before this time, the police division had been operating from the office building of the defunct Social Democratic Party. That was before it was set ablaze allegedly by hoodlums during the #ENDSARS protest that rocked the country in 2020. The fire totally razed the building. It was later reconstructed. But no sooner had that been done than “unknown gunmen” stormed the place and, again, set it on fire.

Following the second arson attack, Ezinihitte people, not wanting to be left without police presence, rented a bank premises as a temporary accommodation. But they were surprised, when, after spending over N600,000 on rent, the building was rejected by the then Commissioner of Police, Isaac Akinmoyede. Following the development, stakeholders were left with no choice than to complete an abandoned police station project that started in the days of then Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha.

During the handover of the new station and mini barracks, said to have cost over N20 million, to the Imo Police Command, chairman, Ezinihitte Stakeholders Forum, Mr. Louis Alozie, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, disclosed that it was constructed in collaboration with Mbaise Global Foundation, which, he said, provided the initial takeoff grant of N2m. “The money motivated Ezinihitte sons and daughters into sacrificing their resources towards the completion of the police station and mini-barracks.”

He noted that, in a meeting of leaders of Mbaise Global Foundation with Chekwamba (the foundation’s security advisory council) from Ezinihitte, “it was agreed that we form an association known as Ezinihitte Stakeholders Forum with the aim of raising additional funds to complete and furnish the police station and barracks. I am happy that our people both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora showed patriotism by voluntarily donating generously, With this, the project was completed.”

Their decision to do so, he said, was a demonstration of their determination to have the burnt police station replaced with something new and better. He added that it was the first time that Ezinihitte would have a permanent police station since its creation in 1989. On what informed their decision to take up the challenge, he said: “We don’t have a history of lawlessness or violence in Ezinihitte. When the #ENDSARS protest became a national problem, which consumed our police station, local government council headquarters and other government offices, our people felt very concerned that we cannot exist in an atmosphere of insecurity.

“In our anxiety to bring back the police presence, we first rented an abandoned bank premises to serve as temporary office and accommodation. We thought that the bank strong room could serve as the armoury for the police while the banking hall and other offices would serve as the counter and offices for the officers and men of the police force. But the arrangement was rejected by then state commissioner of police on the grounds that he was not consulted. It was then that our attention was drawn to an uncompleted police station, which the government of Imo State, under the administration of Okorocha, abandoned. The station was overgrown with grasses and was literally in the bush. It was unfenced and had no access road. We decided to take up the challenge of completing the buildings and furnishing them.”

Alozie, who commended the host community for taking up the task, and completing and delivering it in record time, thanked the president-general of Itu Development Union, Oliver Nnanyereugo Osuagwu, an engineer, for singlehandedly executing the borehole project. The legal luminary lastly solicited for a good-working relationship between the police authorities and people of Ezinihitte while urging the police to post more officers to the community now that there is enough room to accommodate them.

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Chairman, board of directors, Mbaise Global Foundation, Dr. Sylvester Ugoh, expressed similar sentiments as Alozie’s on the completion of the police station project. The erstwhile vice-presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1993 noted that the project was consistent with the developmental agenda of the foundation, set up in 2020 as a non-profit organization to enable the organisations work in synergy with other Mbaise stakeholders to complement the efforts of government in facilitating the development of the area.

In his speech, he noted that Mbaise Global Foundation’s donations of N6m, N2m each for the three local government council areas in Mbaise, including Ezinihitte, were to encourage immediate rehabilitation of damaged security facilities in the mentioned areas: “In doing this, MGF was motivated by the desire to ensure that there is uninterrupted presence of units of police in the three councils of Mbaise for the sake of protecting life and property.”

Ugoh commended Ezinihitte Stakeholders Forum for collaborating with the foundation to execute the police station project, while appreciating the presence of Rabiu Hussein, the state’s commissioner of police.

“Mbaise people expect you to deploy to this and other stations in Mbaise officers who will build trust with the people in communities through honest communication, mutual respect, and who will conduct themselves within the ambit of the law,” he said while addressing him.  “That is how we can ensure security of life and property. Mbaise people understand this and will play their part.”

In his speech, Hussein noted that Ezinihitte Mbaise was the first community in the country to build a new police division along with living quarters for the divisional police officer, the divisional crime officer and other officers of the division, since the end of the #ENDSARS protest, and donate it to the police. If the community was not in peace, the project would not have been possible,” he added.  “I commend the entire community for their support for the police. I want other communities in this state to emulate this gesture by the Ezinihitte Stakeholders Forum. As you know, the government cannot provide everything.”

Even so, he implored the community to do more, “Like Oliver Twist, while commending your effort in building a permanent police division, we would be exceedingly happy for the Ezinihitte Stakeholders Forum who made this possible to give the Area Command a facelift.”

He assured the people of the readiness of the Imo State Police Command under his watch to continue to cooperate with the community to fight crime.

His words: “The mandate of the Inspector-General of Police, Baba Usman Alkali, on the fight against crime is based on community policing. We call on the community to establish their vigilante groups, which will be under the watch of the traditional rulers. And, whenever they are going on operations, they must inform the police. That way, crimes in the communities would be checked.”