Abia CP Afolabi Visits NDLEA, Inspects Akwete Police Formations, Meets Stakeholders

Community Safety Partnership: Abia CP Afolabi Visits NDLEA, Inspects Akwete Police Formations, Meets Stakeholders

The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, CP Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, has directed Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) across the state to ensure that relatives of arrested suspects are informed of the police formation where such suspects are being detained.

Afolabi gave the directive on Friday, September 4, 2026, during an expanded Community Safety Partnership meeting with stakeholders in the Akwete Area Command, as part of his ongoing Police Community Safety Partnership Initiative in the state.

The initiative, which is being implemented in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, is aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Police and communities in tackling crime and improving public safety.

The CP said the directive was necessary to promote transparency, accountability and public confidence in policing, while also addressing concerns raised by stakeholders over cases where families were allegedly left unaware of the whereabouts of arrested persons.

During the meeting, stakeholders comprising local government mayors, traditional rulers, women and youth representatives, transport unions, hotel operators, farmers and traders associations, vigilante groups, community policing representatives, hunters, herders and cattle rearers, among others, raised several security concerns.

They complained about inadequate manpower and logistics, alleged demands for money during investigations, police involvement in civil matters, banditry along the Ukwa West axis, and the increasing incidents of killings and motorcycle theft.

The stakeholders also called for stronger cooperation between the Police, traditional institutions and the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to improve security across the area.

Responding, Afolabi reiterated the zero-tolerance policy of the Inspector-General of Police towards unprofessional conduct, warning that officers found engaging in misconduct would face disciplinary action.

He urged members of the public to report cases of police misconduct and provided his contact details to stakeholders to facilitate direct communication, accessibility and accountability.

The CP also directed police formations to collaborate with approved community security outfits to address manpower challenges. He announced the introduction of motorcycle patrols, particularly to improve policing in areas inaccessible to conventional patrol vehicles.

According to him, motorcycle patrol teams should comprise not fewer than three motorcycles and not more than six officers, who must be properly equipped and armed..

Afolabi further disclosed that the Command had planned capacity-building workshops for personnel, focusing on intelligence gathering, crime mapping, crime prevention and professional development.

He directed that contact numbers of police divisions and area commands should be visibly displayed to enable residents to easily reach security personnel when necessary.

The CP also urged residents to adopt basic security measures, including the use of pedal and wheel locks for vehicles, maintaining good neighbourliness and promptly reporting suspicious persons and activities.

He advised community leaders to involve the Police in employment processes within their communities to facilitate proper profiling and documentation of prospective workers…

Earlier, the CP paid a courtesy visit to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abia State Command, where he stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling drug abuse and criminality.

He said drug abuse remained a major factor fuelling criminal activities and called for unity of purpose, intelligence sharing and joint operations between security agencies.

The State Commander of the NDLEA, CN Leonard Chinagorom Nnadim, PhD, assured the Police Command of the agency’s continued cooperation in intelligence sharing and joint operations.
Nnadim also briefed the CP on different categories of drugs, patterns of abuse and drug-testing procedures, while commending the inclusion of the Area Commander and Divisional Police Officers in the Police delegation.

As part of the working visit, Afolabi inspected the Obehie and Akwete Divisional Police Headquarters and the Area Command, where he charged personnel to maintain professionalism, discipline and strict adherence to the rule of law.

He also directed officers to comply with the Nigeria Police Force social media policy, maintain proper dress codes and improve traffic management and collaboration with community security outfits.

The CP assured personnel that ongoing retraining programmes would continue to enhance their operational capacity and improve the quality of service delivered to residents of Abia State.

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