Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, has condemned the checking of people's phones and the transferring of money from these phones by police officers.
Students of Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, AE-FUNAI, and some members of the public have been complaining of harassment, unauthorised phone checks by policemen, and the transfer of funds from their accounts to the officers' accounts.
At a town hall meeting with security stakeholders in the state, held at the police officers' mess at the headquarters of the Abia State Police Command in Abakaliki, the state capital, Adaku Uche-Anya warned officers of the command against this disturbing trend, describing it as criminal.
She noted that the police hierarchy prohibits checking phones without a warrant.
The Commissioner of Police provided the audience with contact numbers of senior officers to report any infractions by police personnel in the state.
She also cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands or engaging in jungle justice.
She expressed her gratitude to the stakeholders for their cooperation in ensuring the security of the state.
The purpose of the meeting, according to her, was to assess the command's performance and identify areas for improvement in service delivery.
The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, market leaders, and other relevant stakeholders.
