A group, Abia Stakeholders Forum (ASF) has called for the immediate redeployment of Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbade and ACP Kabiru Ibrahim, the Area Commander in charge of Aba over their inability to tackle insecurity, stressing that criminal elements that have taken over the state, especially Aba and its environs.
News Echo reports that ASF, a body that comprises landlords, businessmen and stakeholders with investments scattered all over the city of Aba and its environs said that the way deadly cultists have taken over Aba is unacceptable.
The group said that the city of Aba once used to be a peaceful place where young men, women and everyone work hard to survive but things have taken a new turn since the past two years.
ASF said that residents of Ngwa Road Ohanku Road, Obohia Road, Port Harcourt, Ogbor-Hill and their environs have been taken over by Aro-Cult boys and have made many residents live in fear.
The group in a statement signed by Chief Nwogu Chukwudi, President and Dr Nwadiba Nwosu, Secretary-General explained that criminals have taken over the once peaceful city without any challenge from the police saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property.
ASF lamented that on the 18th of February, 2022, a family man was shot in the heart who later died at Port Harcourt Road by Furo Street, Aba for refusing to give his phone to some criminals known as Aro-Cult.
ASF said that the Aro-Cult criminals murdered the man because they demanded his phone at gunpoint by 6:30 am and up till now, no move has been made by the police to apprehend the perpetrators of such a dastardly act.
The Abia stakeholders also said that on Tuesday 15th March 2022, another robbery incident that lasted for over seven hours in the night took place at Nwalozie Street, off Uratta Road, Aba without any interference.
ASF lamented that the valiant criminal cult group wrote a letter to the residents of Nwalozie Street informing them of the proposed robbery on 15 March 2022 which they fulfilled.
“The Aro-Cult told the residents that there have overpowered the police and other security agencies in the state hence their power to rob whoever they want at any time.
“The t have even grown wings that motorists and Okada riders pay as high as N100 per day to them to avoid being robbed by them in Aba. This cult group is mostly young men and young girls of 16 to 25 years of age who operate with guns robbing people in Aba in broad daylight.
“Businessmen and women who sight them from afar give them money to appease them. Aba is totally in Comatose security-wise and we have an Area Commander of police in Aba and a Commissioner of Police in Abia State paid with taxpayers money to provide security for Abians and its residents.”
ASF said that in saner climes, the Commissioner of Police in Abia and the Area Commander of Aba are supposed to return all the salaries and allowances they have received since their deployment to their duty posts and charged to court for the negligence of duty.
“We have no place to run to if we keep quiet and allow these criminal elements who call themselves Aro-Cult to chase us out of our homes and business places. They rob businessmen and women in broad daylight without any fear of law enforcement agents. The situation is really bad.
“We, therefore, call for the immediate removal of the Area Commander in Aba ACP Kabiru Ibrahim and Abia Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbade for failing woefully in their duties of providing security for Abia residents.
“We want the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba to deploy capable hands as Area Commander for Aba and another capable police CP in Abia state who will take their duties and obligations seriously to chase out these criminals terrorising the once peaceful city of Aba and Abia state.”
