From Molly Kilete, Abuja
THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has ordered the demotion in rank of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Ikenne Division of Ogun State, Mr. Patrick Onwu, for assaulting a female traffic warden.
Also, the IGP, has ordered the immediate transfer of the alleged bully officer from Ogun state police command, even as he has ordered the Commissioner of Police to set up an investigative panel on the matter and report to the force headquarters.
The IGP directed the state commissioner to forward the necessary details of the accused officer to the force secretary, Abuja for further disciplinary actions.
Onwu, has now been demoted to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) from Superintendent of Police(SP).
The former DPO, was said to have beaten up a female traffic warden, Inspector Anifat Bello, at her duty post at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), junction, on IBB Boulevard way, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Daily Sun, gathered that the IGP, who got to know about the incident on the pages of newspapers, was said to have immediately put a call to the State Police Commissioner and gave him the directives.
Top police sources told Daily Sun, in Abuja, that the force headquarters was monitoring the IGP’s directives to ensure strict compliance.
Police sources also said Arase, commended the high level of discipline displayed by the female traffic warden who he said refused to fight back, saying the likes of Patrick Onwu, should not be in the police.
It would be recalled that the Divisional Police Officer, who was in charge of Ikenne Division, Onwu, allegedly went wild when he descended on the female officer and beat her up for daring to stop his private vehicle.
Onwu, who was said to have been in mufti at the time of the incident, was alleged to have driven into a nearby filling station where he parked and changed into his police uniform and went back to the duty post of Bello.