The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Abubakar Lawal, on Tuesday, directed Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers within the jurisdiction of Nkanu East, Nkanu West, and communities in Enugu South local government areas where the state government banned operations of tricycle, Okada and Tipper lorries to ensure strict enforcement of the ban.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had on Friday, after an emergency security meeting with stakeholders in five local government areas in Enugu East Senatorial District, signed Executive Order No. 1 banning operations of tricycle, commercial motorcycle, and Tipper lorries in three Councils.
The ban has since generated condemnation from church leaders including, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, who described the ban as ill-advised. Mbaka had said that the reason the government gave to justify the ban was a ‘fallacy of faulty generalization’.
But while Governor Ugwuanyi was engaging with the union leaders of the Tipper lorries, tricycle, and commercial motorcycle drivers, the police commissioner ordered his men for immediate enforcement of the ban in all the affected communities.
Lawal, however, cautioned police operatives to respect the fundamental human rights of citizens in the course of carrying out the enforcement.
He urged those affected by the ban to comply in order to avoid any form of misunderstanding between them and police operatives performing the enforcement duty.
The commissioner stated this a statement issued through the Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, on Tuesday, and which was made available to our correspondent.
“The CP has enjoined Ndi Enugu State to remain vigilant, law-abiding, and assist the Command with useful and timely security information/intelligence it requires to frontally tackle the activities of criminal elements, hell-bent on tampering with the peace and security hitherto enjoyed in the State.
“This they can do by reporting at the nearest police station, through the DPO, or by calling the Command’s emergency hotlines and be rest assured that such information/intelligence shall be treated with utmost confidentiality and accorded necessary action,” the statement partly read.
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