…As NUJ expresses shock over Enugu Govt’s demolition of Press Centre fence***

The Police Command in Enugu State says it has constituted an investigative panel over three officers involved in professional misconduct within Enugu metropolis.

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Ahmed Abdurrahman, disclosed this in Enugu on Monday while briefing newsmen on the identified and arrested officers.

Recall that some officers allegedly beat up, in a viral social media video clip a civilian, one Justice Obasi, on Jan 4, around Kenyatta St., Uwani over a minor issue.

The officers included two Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) and one police constable.

Abdurrahman said that the panel had been given three days to conclude its work and report back to the command through the commissioner’s office.

“After the panel’s three days’ work, we will look into its findings and recommendation.

“Then, they will definitely face orderly room trial and after all these, we know what level of punishment will be meted on them,’’ he said.

The commissioner said that the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu, who saw the video clip and was quite disturbed, had ordered for a full investigation and arrest of the police personnel involved.

According to him, as the I-G gave his directive to fish out those involved, within some minutes we were able to identify and arrest the three personnel involved.

“The members of the public should know that the Nigeria Police under the present I-G cannot condone and shade such uncivilized characters.

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“Nigerians should know that negative action of the erring personnel is unprofessional and does not in any way reflect the image and attitude of the Nigerian Police.

“We are here to police with human face and some level of decorum and civility,’’ he said.

On the recent locking up of Assemblies of God Church, Agbani Road, the commissioner said that the police did not chase away worshipers.

Abdurrahman explained that the police responded following a distress call from some church members that two factions of the church were fighting and about to cause social unrest in the state.

“When the police got there, all efforts to make the worshipers co-worship, while we set a date to look into their grievances, proved abortive.

“When the police personnel on ground saw that their violence and disagreement was getting out of hand, they have to lock the church premises to prevent bloodshed, arson and wanton destruction of property,’’ he said.

In the meantime, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council has expressed shock on the demolition of the perimeter fence of the Press Centre along Rangers Ave. Independence Layout, Enugu.

The Council Chairman, Mr Rex Arum told newsmen that the sudden demolition on Monday in spite of entreaties made by the council for the amicable resolution of the issues at stake was a betrayal of trust.

Arum said that the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) had marked the frontal perimeter fence for demolition on the ground that the fence was few meters beyond the town planning stipulation.

The chairman said that the council had made efforts to negotiate with ECTDA on how to sort out the matter without exposing the centre to insecurity.

“We tried to negotiate with the state government on how to resolve the issue so that no party would suffer unduly.

“We even presented some official land documents to back up our claims but the state government suddenly sent an earth moving equipment and demolished the fence.

“The foregoing has exposed this premises to insecurity and we are worried that the centre is no longer safe,” he said.

On the relationship between the state council of the NUJ and the state government, Arum said:

“There is nothing special about the relationship between the NUJ and the state government. State governors are supposed to be the grand patrons of the NUJ in their respective states.

“We have severally appealed to the state government for the renovation of the Unity Hall in the Press Centre but what we got was a demolition.

“If the state government had acceded to our appeal for the renovation in order to give the centre a face lift, perhaps, it would have taken care of the issues with the perimeter fence,” he said.
Arum described the action of the state government as an `affront’ on the media.

“The media have been working toward the progress of the state but what we got in return was demolition,” Arum said.

When contacted prior to the arrival of the earth moving equipment, the Chairman of the ECTDA, Mr Ken Onoh declined comments and hurriedly left the scene with the excuse that the governor had called him.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, said that he had not been briefed on the demolished perimeter fence.

Aroh however, said that with his knowledge as a former commissioner of ECTDA, the perimeter fence would not have been brought down if it did not go beyond the expected point.

The commissioner said that the NUJ chairman needed to get in touch with the officials of the ECTDA to sort out the gray areas.

The Enugu Press Centre was donated to the defunct East Central Journalists Union by the then Administrator, East Central States, Dr. Ukpabi Asika in 1971, as the oldest in the Southeast.