Community Policing Could Have Prevented Killing of Soldiers in Okuama, Says HRH Chekwas

The King of Evo Kingdom in Rivers State, his royal highness, Promise Chekwas has highlighted the critical need for community policing and intelligence gathering, asserting that such measures could have potentially prevented the ambush that claimed the lives of the soldiers in Okoama community in Delta State.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Chekwas stated that thorough investigation has to be conducted, adding that no sort of reprisal or revenge can equate the loss of lives.

“There is no sort of reprisal or revenge that can be equated to the death of a Colonel, two serving majors and some other officers. It is rare to happen even in a combatant operation, it is very rare before you lose such ranks. Why it happened is why we are here today. We have been clamoring for community policing, community intelligence gathering because those people did not just come out of thin air.

“They must have passed through one route or the other. If there had been community policing on ground, or a good intelligence gathering arrangement, there should have been preventive measures, even to assault those people when they are preparing for such ambush because they didn’t just come from the air; they are from one community or the other which is a take off point before arriving in wherever the incident occurred.

“This has never happened to the army and it is a huge loss. Whoever did this, whether human, terrorist or whoever must be arrested. Since that day I have been watching for the country to fly the flag low for half-mast or for even a period of one week because the incident is very tragic. I don’t know who needs to die before we fly. 

“It is not easy to groom an officer to the rank of a colonel. It is very expensive to produce a soldier of that class with the taxpayers money, some go abroad, some are locally trained before they get to that rank. 

“If they had died in an operation, we won’t have anything to say but this is on a peace mission where they were going to reconcile whatever issues that I don’t know.

“I have earlier said, I am not just a retired officer, I was in charge of the state OSPAC and the state community policing during the Obasanjo reign. But you see, government comes and goes and when that happens, sometimes they dump these previous arrangements. The only solution that can help us in all communities is to key in and half their own community policing for intelligence gathering, for surveillance purposes, so that whoever sees something must say something. What brought about this incident is that people saw something and didn’t say something and that is what I think caused this action.

“There has to be a thorough investigation. Who invited the army, who arranged their coming, how did information go out to know that the soldiers of such caliber are moving out before they were assaulted. Information must have leaked out and those parties not favored in the dialogue or whatever peace accord they are going for, must have masterminded these assaults on our gallant soldiers.

He also emphasized the vital role of traditional rulers and community leaders in ensuring the security and welfare of their people, calling for greater accountability and proactive measures to address security challenges at the grassroots level.

“I have said it earlier that communities that have issues that are these volatile, those responsible for these actions, must start from the traditional rulers, the certified royal highnesses. Why are they paid salaries up to the tune of one million and above? It is to be responsible for the security and welfare of their people. That is why the government positioned them and certified them and they are not working.

“We cannot call this an oversight because communities must know. There are no forests without owners. If the government goes to put a project on any forest, a landlord must come out seeking compensation. In every system, there must be saboteurs. That saboteur plans the ambush and leaks the information and they don’t just happen in a twinkle of an eye. They want to demoralize the government but they can’t do that. The upshot of this matter must have started from the grassroot.

“We must change our modus operandi but the solution to all these is for us to get back to community policing. Any community that doesn’t key into community policing. Anything that happens there, you hold the royal highness and other stakeholders responsible. They know their criminals very well and they can produce them”

Chioma Kalu

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