By: Edem Archibong, Calabar.

The new Commissioner of Police in Cross River State Command who resume duty last month in the state, Rashid Afegbua has commended the Traditional rulers in Calabar South Local Government Area for ensuring that the former “hostile criminal den” Calabar South Local Government Area is now experiencing calmness as compared to years ago, and attribute this calmness to the sensitization level of the Traditional rulers.

This assertion was made in Calabar during the courtesy familiarization visit by the Police Commissioner to the palace of the Paramount ruler of Calabar South Local Government Area, HRM Etubom Nyong Effiom Okon ETIM EWA 1st.

He used the opportunity to inform the Traditional rulers that he is not a new Police Officer to the state; rather, he had served in the state as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Atakpa Division when police formations were only Efut and Atakpa Divisions.

CP Afegbua further explained that his new posting in the state does not make entirely new person; rather, he considers it as a “come back home” to serve in a higher capacity with his wealth of experience to improve the present security architecture of the state.

Mr. Afegbua, who was a m’alabite, studied law from the prestigious University of Calabar before proceeding to Nigerian law school in Lagos, and was called to the bar promised to ensure that the security situation in the state would have more tactical improvement as a tourism hub in Nigeria.

Speaking earlier, HRM Etubom Nyong Effiom Okon ETIM EWA 1st, Paramount ruler for Calabar South Local Government, expressed gratitude to the new Police boss for the initiative to visit his palace with members of his State team, while promising to work with him to ensure that the crime rate in the area is reduced to the barest minimum in line with Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu’s Vision as a tourist destination in Nigeria.

He also used the opportunity to make a passionate appeal to the state Police Commissioner on three areas for consideration to include: (a) Abolition of knock-out shooting/ selling of same because the sound of knock-out resembles a gun sound. (b) Parade of Masquerades in the City should be prohibited because hoodlums use the Masquerades to steal, while the Ekpo Masquerades are not part of the people’s tradition, except for the Ekpe Masquerades.

As the Chairman of the Central Calabar Traditional Rulers Council, comprising Calabar South Local Government Area, Akpabuyo Local Government Area, and Bakassi Local Government Area, he also requested that the ban on Ekpo Masquerades should be extended to all three Local Government Council Areas to prevent crime.

On the third issue, the Paramount Ruler was specifically referring to Calabar South Local Government Area, which he enumerated to have not less than 20 recognized Clan Heads and over 250 Village Heads, in conformity with the Cross River State Traditional rulers edicts of 1978 also make provision for one Paramount ruler per local government. Therefore, you should be aware that any person who may claim to be a Village Head or Clan Head without a certificate of recognition by the Chieftaincy Affairs in the Governor’s office should be arrested.