By Tochi Onyeubi
Following the commotion and heavy traffic gridlock over the weekend along Orlu road orchestrated by protest of men of the police force, fresh revelations have emerged over the high handedness and corruption charges levied against their commander, Usman Muhammed Taaba.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the protesting officers who pleaded anonymity revealed that, they had earlier been forcefully evicted from their former base at Nekede where they shared with the police training school. According to him, the CTU was drafted to Imo State in 2011 on the request of the then governor, Ikedi Ohakim to strengthen security of the state troubled by criminal elements.
It was further learnt that one of the conditions for granting the state the services of the CTU was that the state must be ready to provide vehicles and accommodation for the unit, while the police command would provide arms and ammunition.
He informed that no sooner had they settled at their new base at Orlu road Secretariat, given to them by Governor Rochas Okorocha, authorities of the Federal Medical Center, FMC Owerri in connivance with their commander, who they accused of being heavily bribed, asked them to vacate the premises within 24 hours.
“Then governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim provided us with vehicle to come to Imo. When we arrived in the state, he showed us a place at Police Training School Nekede and said, he was putting finishing touches to new place we will use as our permanent base after 2011 general election opposite Concorde Hotel. Ohakim lost to Rochas Okorocha, who took over the place and converted it to Heroes’ Apartment.
“Since that 2011, we have been in Nekede till this year because our advance team was already here. Governor Okorocha gave us former Orlu Road secretariat as our base in 2013”, one of them countered.
“Our commander, Usman Muhammed Taaba came to Nekede and gave us 24 hours to enter our new base at Old Orlu Road Secretariat or we lose the place. Under 24 hours, we relocated our families and luggages from Nekede to this place. Few weeks after our arrival to this place, FMC management came to inform us that they bought the place from the governor and that we should quit from there. The governor himself did not tell us that he has sold the place neither did he give us any counter order to vacate the place.
The officers, who were fully armed and masked, marched in their dozens in front of their base at Old Orlu Road Secretariat, Owerri, where they barricaded the highway with burning tyres, shooting sporadically into the air and forcing motorists nearby to scamper to safety.
The men who informed that, they were asked to go to new Egbeada Market to occupy the shops upstairs while traders use the ground floor, revealed that, FMC management visited their commander with standing fan, generator and other electronic gadgets to appeal for them to vacate the premises, which the commander sent signal same day issuing eviction notice within 24hrs.
But to their chagrin, the commander in company of the Commissioner of Police Operations led the FMC and their awaiting bulldozers ordered them to vacate the place within 20mins, started with a lactating mother, whose husband was in Maiduguri fighting Boko Haram. This action triggered them to defend the woman and save the baby while also chasing them out of the place.
Another angry officer told our reporter, “Since the existence of this CTU, there have not been permanent base for us.
“We left Nekede to here, dislocating our children’s education in the process. Today again, we are being given a quit notice to pack out of here. My colleague’s wife was delivered of her baby through caesarian section and he brought back here yesterday and that same yesterday they want to force us out without providing an alternative.
“A normal man cannot live in a market square. After buying and selling in the market, the next people you will see in the market are mad people.” He fumed.
“If the tyre of his vehicle bursts, he will compel the team to buy a new tyre for him and he is insisting that he wants to stay here till after 2019 elections. Is this the kind of life we should live? We want IG to transfer him out of Imo State”, another police officer said.
Reacting to the incident, the state police public relations officer, Mr. Rolland Ikokwu said the commissioner of police was aware of the situation and had already directed that decent accommodation be made available for the officers immediately.
