By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Like the famous female police officer, DSP Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Zone 13, Ukpo, Anambra State, who broke the jinx when she approved the construction of one room self-contained apartment (fully furnished) for homeless widow in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, so that the widows could have a roof over her head. History, they say, always repeat itself.
However, such singular benevolence had also been replicated in Cross River State, when another gallant police officer, who is a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of the Federal Housing Estate Calabar, CSP J.A Inuyashe, did something similar to what the female police officer in Anambra State had done.
Apart from regular policing, where he is expected to give protection to residents of the community, this cop had in many ways made the community members to be happy, whereby the meagre resources that he earns legitimately is being invested on youths, who have no means of survival.
Through his act of benevolence, a lot of youths, who were either one way or the other supposed to rot in jail, got starter packs in form tricycles to begin their lives, rather than remain perpetually perpetrating atrocities and all sorts of criminalities.
Inuyashe’s benevolence have provided many youths in the area, with many becoming self reliant. With prospects of joining the other class, if not bourgeoisie class, at least, they can afford to join the other class that is a bit lower than the class of the bourgeoisie, so that they won’t remain a bunch of nuisance to the immediate community in which they reside.
To ensure that effective policing is done in his area of jurisdiction, CSO Inuyashe, committed his personal mini-buses to police services.The buses, which ordinarily were supposed to be put on the major roads to be generating income for the police officer, had been converted by CSP Inuyashe for policing work for optimal results. The vehicle are used in the conveying of suspects to the station.
Explaining the rationale behind the DPO using his personal mini-buses in the performance of police function instead of official vehicles, Inuyashe said, “It all began when there was need for us to respond swiftly to a distress call. Unfortunately, all we had were broken down vehicles that can do nothing, because they were all in bad shape.
“As one who is passionate and enthusiastic about the job, I had no option than to find a means to get that mobility issue resolved.
“I asked my men to go pick my mini-buses and get the task executed. It continued like that until I finally decided to allow them to be using the mini-buses as operational vehicles for our station.
“I have had instances where the buses had been used to sort out several pressing issues at the station, notwithstanding the fact that they were meant for my own personal need.”
He added that the complainsts had always been “Oga, no vehicle; no vehicle to go for operation ooh. Because we are told that some hoodlums are disturbing the area around Ikot Ishie axis also in Calabar Municipality Council area, and we just can’t find taxi cabs to drop us in the area to enable us salvage the situation.”
Complaints of these nature were like a recurrent decimal. Such complaints are heard on daily basis around the Federal Housing Estate Police Station, where Inuyashe was posted from his 8-Miles Police Station to superintend over the affairs for the Federal Housing Estate community.
Findings by our reporter revealed that 60 per cent of the task performed by the gallant police officer in his primary place of assignments, wherever he is posted to, were done with his personal resources, notwithstanding the fact that the task is supposed to be executed with government funds.
Apart from committing his personal resources to achieve effective policing in places he had served, he had also empowered several youths in the communities where he had served
There had been instances where he empowered some youths with tricycles so that they can become self sustaining/reliant.
There were instances where he had converted his personal mini-buses that were hitherto meant to make extra cash for him and his immediate family, to official use all because he wants to achieve effective policing.
For the fact that he wants things to work well as they should, regarding policing the society with law and orderliness, the gallant police officer also decided to initiate a mini-scholarship scheme, basically for some indigent students, to avoid increasing the number of school drop outs within his environ, which according to him would help in tension/crime reduction in the society.
He had said, “All this isn’t to show off, but to extend a hand of fellowship to those in dire need for a better society.
•Ndoma-Neji, a journalist, writes from Calabar, Cross River State.
