By Ngozi Uwujare
The Commissioner of police, Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Moronkeyi Adesina has said the command is ready for the June 18, 2022, Ekiti governorship election. He speaks on other issues in this interview
How is your command preparing for the June 18, 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State?
We are totally prepared for the Ekiti election. My policemen are fully prepared. We have started giving them a proper orientation on how to handle the situation when the need arises. We have warned them not to allow themselves to be used by the politicians. I have ordered them to carry out their job with thorough professionalism.
The command has visited all the flash points which always led to crises during elections. We have studied the situation. We have redeployed all our police operatives with the cooperation of the public and had dialogued with them. We have operational vehicles and we need more.
The state government has promised all the security agencies that more operational vehicles will be provided for the Ekiti election. The command has started training and re-training of officers and the junior rank on how to manage the crisis when the need arises.
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali during his conference in Abuja has given us directive that we must do all within our power to ensure that the entire Ekiti State is peaceful before, during and after the election. And I am assuring you that Ekiti State will be very peaceful. The Inspector General of Police will also deploy some police officers from different states’ police commands to join us during the Ekiti election. The Nigeria Police force are totally prepared with the latest equipment and a different professional tactical team from Abuja.
Has there been any problem during the political campaign?
There is no problem in Ekiti for now. The state is calm. We have dialogued with all the political parties in the state. We pleaded with them that all we are expecting from them is peace. We told them to warn their followers not to destroy government properties and that there should be no hate speeches. They should not help the thugs to hijack their political campaigns. They have promised us to be law abiding citizens and ready to work with the police force to allow peace to reign. Since their political campaigns started, we had made sure our policemen are present in every nook and cranny of the state to ensure there is peace. Everywhere in Ekiti is calm. If we get any information, we quickly swing into action and immediately, the place is calm. We have sent a strong signal to the political thugs; they should stay away from violence, threatening of life and carrying dangerous weapons. If anyone is involved, the law will take its course. The entire people of Ekiti are assisting the police by giving us useful information.
We had dialogued with the youth and we warned them to stay away from violence. They should not allow the politicians to use the youth for political thuggery. The youth promised to work with the policemen and are ready to abide by the law of the land.
What is the relationship between Nigeria Police and the Public now that we are set for the election?
The relationship with the public in Ekiti has been superb. We accommodate everybody in my office and in our police stations, we treat them very well. When they need our attention, we quickly respond immediately. My office is widely open. I attend to issues when they call my attention to it. They give us useful information which enable us to flush out all the criminals in the state. We always let the public know we are there for them. Sometimes, when we have a case of land matters or chieftaincy crisis, we make sure there is peace among the two parties. If both parties are not satisfied with our decision, immediately, we charge the case to court.
We allow the court to decide for them. We have started campaigning for the public to make sure that the Ekiti election is peaceful, that everything lies in their hands. It is not only the public; we have extended our good relationship to the media, lawyers, teachers, market women, civil servants, students and any association in Ekiti.
Also, we have a good relationship with the religious leaders and the Obas who had been assisting us through community policing. Sometimes, when I visit the Obas in their palaces, I do enjoin them to make sure that their people give priority to security. More is expected from us and I promise that we are totally there for them.
What is your advice to the Ekiti people during the election?
My advice to the people of Ekiti during the election is that they should respect the rules and regulations of INEC. They should vote for their candidates and go back home. They should shun violence after the election, they should be calm and accept any winner for the development and growth of their state. The people of Ekiti are known as ‘fountain of knowledge’ and they should exhibit this to make sure that there is peace in the state.
They should know that the security agencies are there for them and I strongly believe the Ekiti election will come and go peacefully without any hitch but free and fair and credible.
What was your impression when you assumed duty in Ekiti?
I came to Ekiti as Commissioner of Police in April, 2022. I was impressed with the situation I met on ground. My mission is to tackle the armed robbers and kidnappers in the state. It is striving to ensure the security of lives and properties of the good people of Ekiti as well as creating an enabling environment where everybody can move about their lawful business without any form of apprehension.
How are you tackling armed robbery and kidnapping in the state?
It is hard work and my police men are totally ready to checkmate the criminals out of the state. All members of my tactical team are totally on ground. The Rapid Response Squad are doing tremendously well going after the hoodlums in the bush which they use as their hideout. I have made a significant breakthrough, enhanced patrol, led surveillance, community partnership and collaboration with other agencies as the activities of all forms of criminal elements have been paralysed across the state.
I have arrested over 50 suspected armed robbers and kidnappers within the state. We have tackled their hideouts in bushes and forests along Eruku/Itapaji forest and recovered some arms and ammunitions from them. In Ikole Ekiti, we have tackled some herdsmen. Some of the herdsmen came from Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna. I have redeployed my police operatives to checkmate all the exits of the state. The command mapped out some strategies with other security agencies; the military, the DSS, Nigeria Security, Civil Defence including Amotekun, Vigilante and the local hunters in the fight against crime and criminalities in the state.
The issue of corruption, how have you addressed it?
This is a good development. The day I resumed at the command, I addressed my policemen to shun corruption. I warned them not to be involved in extorting the public, to stop police brutality, illegal detention and illegal duty; they should embrace community policing and apply professionalism when carrying out their duties. The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali’s vision for the Nigeria Police is that the Nigeria police should embrace community policing to work with the entire public to fight crime and be ready to work with the public when they give useful information about criminals. The Ekiti police command has imbibed community policing and this has assisted us in flushing out all the hoodlums who came from neighbouring states to terrorize the state and we have dealt with them.
The command does not arrest innocent people. I make sure that we investigate issues properly and make sure that if any of the suspects involved in crime is arrested with dangerous weapons, we do not waste time. Rather, we charge them to court. I do give my officers a proper orientation on how to handle investigation and immediately, we prosecute those who are involved in crime.
What about cultism in the state, how are you handling the situation?
The situation of cultism in Ekiti has reduced drastically and with the management on ground, we have been able to tackle cultism in the state. With our intelligence gathering, it has always been a cult clash between Black Axe (Aiye) and Eiye secret cults. They fight themselves over supremacy and have been terrorizing innocent citizens of Aramoko-Ekiti, Ikoti-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti. We have arrested over 30 suspected cultists and we recovered dangerous weapons from them like single barrel guns, one cut to size cutlasses and charms. We investigated them and immediately we charged them to court. The Police Rapid Response Squad and other tactical teams are on patrol in the state. And we work together with the institutions’ management by urging them to give us information. All the institutions are working with our police operatives and the situation of cultism is reduced.
The Rapid Response Squad Commander, SUPOL Marcus Ogundola with his team have raided all the hideouts of cultists and some of them have turned to robbers in the state. They have raided Aramoko-Ekiti, Ikoti-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti, Oye Ekiti which have been their hideout from where they carry out their operations and hide their weapons. We have recovered everything from their hideouts.
Quote:we are totally prepared for the Ekiti election. My policemen are fully prepared. We have started giving them a proper orientation on how to handle the situation when the need arises. We have warned them not to allow themselves to be used by the politicians.”