Rivers State Police Command has declared security emergency on road

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Due to wanton killings, kidnappings and robbery on the popular East West road and outcry of commuters who are regularly being attacked between the Choba and the Mbiama stretch of the major expressway, the Rivers State Police Command has declared security emergency on road.

It was learnt that the recent attack on a commercial bus where the driver was shot dead and 12 passengers kidnapped and the ambush of the convoy of lawmakers from Ahoada West local government area leading to the killing of the leader of Ahoada West Legislative Assembly, Ekele Fyneface Chikobi Cohen, may have triggered of the decision of the Police to act.

Sequel to the ambush on the convoy of the lawmakers,  Governor Nyesom Wike vowed that the killers of the lawmaker must be fished out and that security agencies must put a stop to insecurity on the road.

In an interview with our correspondent, the Spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, revealed that the command had declared an emergency on that stretch.

“We have made massive deployment of policemen, uniform and plain cloth to that axis. We have also sent men to creeks, bushes and villages to tap on intelligence gathering.

“We are doing everything humanly possible to forestall incessant and wanton killings of commuters and security personnel in that axis,” he said.

Recently a safety alert went viral warning Commuters, saying: “Please for your safety and safety of your loved ones avoid Omagwa to Ubima and Owerri or Isiokpo to Ubima. Anything that will make you enter through Ubima going to Owerri, especially from 6 pm in the evening should be avoided.

“From Elele to Umudioga, Egbeda, Ubima, and Omuku road are no go areas in the evenings due to high profile kidnapping.”

Another alert said:”From Bayelsa to Port Harcourt, divert to Elele Alimini to Elele Isiokpo and proceed to Port Harcourt. Avoid Elele-Ndele Rumuji-Emuoha-Choba -Port Harcourt. Please stay safe. Kidnappers are on rampage. On daily basis they practically blocked the East West Road from Elele to Emuoha axis.Stay safe.”

On the allegations that policemen who mounted checkpoints were accomplices in the robberies, raping and kidnapping on that road, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, said: “We are also investigating our men who have been on that axis. We have gone back to the drawing board to critically examine our mode of operations and come up with acceptable lasting solutions.”

He revealed in the interview that as part of the measures taken so far, eight of the kidnapping camps and hideouts had been destroyed by policemen and that notable black spots along the Emohua, Ahoada West and Ahoada East local government axis had massive deployment of policemen.