Ugep Stakeholders Hold Security Summit, Obono-Obla Urges Akpabio Give Police Station Facelift

STAKEHOLDERS SECURITY SUMMIT HELD 3RD JANUARY 2020, AT THE YAKURR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL GUEST HOUSE

COMMUNIQUE
The Ugep Stakeholders Summit 2020 conveyed by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla in collaboration with the Traditional Rulers Council, Clan Heads, and Village Heads of Ugep, with the consent of the Obol Lopon of Ugep and Paramount Ruler of Yakurr was held 3rd January, 2020 at the Yakurr Council Guest House, Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area, Cross River State.
The Summit was chaired by Chief Okoi Obono Obla and was attended by traditional rulers including, B’inah, Clan Heads, Village Heads, and other Community Chiefs. Among prominent Ugep sons and daughters in attendance were former Chairman of Yakurr Council, Chief Hon. Ubi Itam Ettah, former SA Security to the Cross River State Governor, Nnnana Arikpo, and former Adviser to President Obama, Dr. Ewa Ikpi Ewa, youths and a good number of Ugep citizens. In attendance also were representatives of the security agencies including Nigeria Police, represented by the Area Commander, Gotom Richard, Divisional Police Officer, Yakurr, CSP Shekari Andrew Abol, the representatives of the State Security Services and Civil Defense Corps.
Proceedings for the Security Summit commenced with an opening prayer by His Royal Highness, Obol Ottoh Ottoh Arikpo as he called on God to help direct the affairs and proceedings of the security summit by providing wisdom for fruitful deliberations.
In his opening remarks, Okoi Obono-Obla, who is also an Obol and the Conveyor and Chairman of the summit identified two core objectives of the summit. Paramount among them being the menace of cultism in Ugep which has culminated in several innocent killings in Ugep thus making the community unsafe for both indigenes and visitors, business and investors. He stated that the killings did not start now, but has been going on for some time, and including his nephew who was also murdered in cold blood by these same cult related activities. He went on to state that this security meeting was necessitated by the shooting of and killing of about six young men in Ugep while another was in critical condition in Ugep General Hospital not sure of surviving the gun shots. Obono-Obla observed that these cultist have graduated from rival killings to armed banditry or outright armed robbery where they target major business owners either rob them and or obtain cash from them at gun point. According to him, those that resist are shot like in the case of Emmanuel Utum Ubi, Chief Executive, HOUSE 27 Hotel Ugep. (As at the time of drafting this communique, Emmanuel Utum Ubi has been confirmed dead making the third Ugep young man felled by the bullets of this cultist-Crimials in Ugep during this festive period).
Obono-Obla, used the opportunity of the Summit to call on all stakeholders of Ugep to intensify efforts towards addressing this ugly, bastardly trend in the community and put an end to it. He frowned at the situation where most community members in the name of traditional rulers, parents, friends or family members of cultist/armed robbers always aid them to get bail or help them resist arrest and sometimes even help them escape from the law.
Other prominent Ugep sons condemned the action of the cultist/armed robbers and proffered immediate and long term solutions towards curbing the excesses of this broad day robbery and murder and the menace caused by these criminals hiding under the cover of cultist. Dr Ewa Ikpi Ewa, in his submission posited a number of approaches: one is what he called “If you see something, Say Something”, an approach he said was used in Chicago. He also proposed that a Police Post be established in each Ugep Ward, reward to whistle blowers and a dedicated line of communication to the Police for reportage. According to him, this community policing approach will bond the security personnel with the people for efficient and effective policing. Hon. Ubi Itam Ettah, the former Chairman of Yaklurr Council, condemned the activities of the cultist and advised that the gathering should proffer solutions and leave out rhetoric.

The DPO Ugep Police Station, CSP Shekari Andrew Abol lamented the difficulty of their operations. He said, they do not have an operations vehicle to police a community as large as Ugep which is adjoined the 34 largest town in the word and the third largest native town in Nigeria by the United Nations. This is excluding other surrounding communities in Yakurr. Besides this, they have shortage of manpower. That Ugep being a hot spot deserves to be well policed, with the right kind of manpower especially male officers and men.

He lamented that, their work is impeded because he observed that most times the community aids suspected cultist to resist arrest, in some cases help them to escape and even tip off the cultist-criminals when they the Police go out for arrest.

He said, there is an occasion when a drug dealer was arrested and taken to the Police Station, but Ugep youths stormed the station and freed the criminal. That this has happened in Ugep a number of times, and used the opportunity to call on the community to assist them in fighting crime, that the incidence of cultist under the guise of cultist is too high and them alone as law enforcers with their very limited resources cannot handle them without the help of the community.

He said he has observed with his intelligence that most of the Officers and men within the Police in Ugep are from Ugep or around Yakurr and often compromise their operations either because the suspects is their friend or relation. That he has noticed that when he sends out these officers and men for assignments they usually go to their homes to sleep if its night duty while others prefer to go to their farms. The DPO, observed that some of the traditional rulers in the Community are also not helping matters as they get in the way of the Police enforcement.

According to him, the some traditional rulers are in the bid of compromising the security architecture of the community. Some of them rather handle criminal cases instead of referring it to the Police because of pecuniary gains.

In a reaction by another Ugep son, Chief Alex Ofem, said, the good number of the Police Officers at Ugep are members of cult groups and that they are the ones that are providing cover for the cultists and most times giving help to them, which the DPO admitted as true.

Obono-Obla added that the second objective of the Summit was to discuss the deteriorating condition of the Community Secondary Grammar School, Ugep, built by community efforts in the early 1960’s.

He used the opportunity to call on the prominent members of the community not to allow the school to deteriorate further but rather should come up with solutions towards putting the school back to its footing and of standard.

After extensive deliberations the following resolutions where reached with recommendations for implementation;

COMMUNIQUE
An Implementation Committee be formed to ensure the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations to the later. This implementation committee will be constituted as appropriate in the post Ugep Summit 2020 and beyond.
The killers of Emmanuel Utum Ubi, Otu Idiagbon (in cold blood) and four other Ugep sons shot during the last Christmas festivities and their accomplices should be hunted down and handed over for the law to take its cause no matter how long it takes.
All Police Sons and Daughters of Ugep and or Yakurr extraction should be transferred out of the Ugep Police Division as it has been observed that they are compromising the cause of Justice to criminals, cultist and drug dealers.
Establishment of Police Posts in each Ward in Ugep for prompt response to emergencies, ease of information gathering and effective policing.
All outlets for the sale of Indian Hemp, Meth, Cocaine, and all illicit drugs by whatever names they are called should be burnt down.
Information for the location of the outlets as in (No.5) above should be provided by the Village and Clan heads. The destruction of the outlets should be carried out by a joint task-force of the Police, NDLEA, the Youths, Village and Clan Heads of each Ward and the members of the Community.
Obol Lopon to call for a Citizens assembly and address the community in respect of the activities of cultist and pronounce stiff penalties and sanctions on perpetrators and identified members of the groups.
All unregistered pre or post-University organizations; Cult Groups, Fraternities and their activities should be proscribed in Ugep and Yakurr. Citizens through the Village and Clan Heads, Ugep Youths Council should provide information about their known members, locations or hide out of such groups to the Police.
Anyone who offers to bail any arrested cultist especially in respect of killings and shootings and or possession of fire arms should also be arrested and prosecuted.
Adopt the proposed slogan and action, “If You See Something, Say Something”.
Create a dedicated Communication Channel/line, preferably a WhatsApp line to be domiciled with the DPO, Ugep for providing relevant information.
Call on our Yakurr Son, Chief of Naval Staff to use his office to request from the Inspector General of Police to allocate Operational Vehicles to Ugep for effectiveness.
An Operations Vehicle to be purchased by the community for the Police in Ugep for effective policing. A call on Ugep Sons and daughters worldwide to rally support.
The Ugep Youth as an umbrella body for all the youths in Ugep should be empowered for effectiveness and their activities appraised over time.
Strengthen and deepen the Community-Police Relationship in Ugep viz Yakurr.
Request through the Minister of Niger Delta and Managing Director of NDDC to give a face lift to the Police State in Ugep including parameter fencing.
This communique is signed and sealed by the undersigned:
NAMES
Obol Ofem Ubana Eteng, Obol Lopon of Ugep and Paramount Ruler of Yakurr (Chief Convener)
Chief Okoi Obono-Obla (Convener/Chairman)
Hon. Ubi Itam Ettah (Chairman Communique Committee)
Sebastine Eko – Secretary Communique Committee)
Chief Godwin Okoi (Possible) Member
H.H Chief Dan Ogwa – Member
H.H Chief Vincent Eyong – Member
H.H Chief Moses Ibiang Omini – Member
Rev. Father Hyacinth S. Inyang – Member
Mrs. Kate Obeten – Member
Osong Nkanu Etowa4
Dr. Etim Omini – Member
Benard Eno Inah – Member

For: Omor Otutu Palace & Obol Lopon of Ugep

Sebastine Eko (Prince of Umor Otutu Palace)
Secretary Communique Committee