Stakeholders of Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State have decried sudden transfer of former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Fegge Police Station, CSP Rabiu Garba.
They said they would greatly miss Garba, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), who has been in charge of the Station for the past 9 years.
In a statement by High Chief, Dede Uzor A Uzor and Mazi Chika Udemadu Chika, the stakeholders said Garba succeeded in unifying residents of the area since his arrival in February 2014.
They enumerated his giant strides in the area to include maintenance of peace through crime fighting and recovery of weapons, attraction and construction of projects, among other laudable achievements.
The statement reads in part, “Garba brought and maintained peace as well as fought crime to a standstill. He recovered dangerous weapons including Ak-47 among the other weapons of death.
“He attracted huge developmental projects to the Division which include a borehole with an overhead tank water reservoir donated by Transglob Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
“He turned around Fegge Police Station. He also constructed offices for officers in different departments. Garba built fence, mosque, church, and recreation facilities for young people, especially Lawn Tennis department.
“He floored the entire Fegge Police Station premises, built a six-room block to house newly transferred Police Officers who always found it difficult to get accommodation and provided a big Mikaino generating set.”
According to the Stakeholders, Garba won over 1050 different awards and kept an open-door policy that made him accessible to many throughout his tenure in Fegge.
“He won Interface Hero award for three consecutive years which earned him different Hilux Vans which he in turn donated to the Division.
“A philanthropist per excellence, Garba was known for using his salary to sponsor less privileged members of the society. We greatly miss him.
“We urge the new DPO, Ifeanyi Ibure, the youngest CSP to take a cue from his predecessor and work for the security of lives and property of the people of Onitsha South, including adopting “bail is free” policy introduced by Garba.
“We urge him to disregard a policy of ceasing people’s phones at the station gate and adopt the same open-door policy introduced by Garba,” they added.
Appreciating Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye for choosing another visionary officer like Ibure to Fegge while Garba took from Ibure from CPS Onitsha, the stakeholders assured him of maximum support.
