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| Etubom Council |
15 March 2020
The Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, has called for synergy among all security outfits in Calabar, as stakeholders brainstorm on ways to curb insecurity within the state NEGROIDHAVEN can say authoritatively.
The monarch, who was represented by the chairman of the Etubom’s Council, lamented the departure from the cleanliness and peacefulness that once characterized Cross River State.
Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V expressed his displeasure at the growing insecurity that is accompanying the expansion and sophistication of the social, economic, and political sphere of the metropolis. He cited the infiltration of light weapons and unemployment of youths as some of the problems that need to be urgently attended to before it deteriorates further.
In addition, he identified the arming of youth by desperate politicians as a condemnable act that has contributed to the spate of killings and insecurity within Cross River State. He also used the opportunity to proffer solutions that will ameliorate the present situation of things within the State. Chief among his suggestions was the need for consolidation and strengthening of the Cross River State security architecture.
Edidem Otu urged all stakeholders to intensify efforts towards stemming this dastardly trend and putting a stop to it.
To this end, all security agencies within the state, both private and public outfits alike, must cooperate and work in synergy. He urged security agencies to work in collaboration with royal fathers, traditional rulers, as well as vigilante groups.
The summit deliberations also posited some approaches, one of which is the establishment of community police in all the local areas of Nigeria. Participants proposed that members of the community police should be restricted to indigenes of the respective communities which they believe will bond the people with the security personnel and allow for effective policing.
The insecurity in Cross River state keeps reaching unimaginable heights. Robbers are having a field day dispossessing
people of their property. The once safe streets of Calabar have now become a den of thieves filled with urchins competing to outdo themselves. This has necessitated several efforts and initiatives to curb this menace, one of which is the security summit organized by the Efik Leadership Foundation with key stakeholders on February 27.
One of the major outcomes of discussions was a call on the Federal Government to consider the legislation for the establishment of the state police.
