The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has described community policing as a critical, long-term strategy for curbing crime and addressing security challenges across the country.
Disu, represented by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, stated this during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Effurun Area Command Headquarters in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Dr Emmanuel Sideso JP, OON Abe I, performed the foundation laying of the command headquarters.
The IGP thanked the Ovie of Uvwie and the people of the kingdom for initiating the project, saying it shows the kingdom has embraced community policing and stands against crime. He emphasized that grassroots engagement is a shared responsibility that the police cannot handle alone.
Speaking shortly after laying the foundation, the Ovie of Uvwie said the project is for a safer and more prosperous future for Uvwie Kingdom and Delta State.
He described the Effurun Area Command as a testament to the cooperation between traditional institutions, security agencies, and government.
Abe I disclosed that the building would be completed within one year and called on sons and daughters of the kingdom to contribute to its completion.
He thanked the Ovie of Agbarha-Warri Kingdom, DESOPADEC, the Uvwie Council Chairman, and Chief Solomon Ighrakpata, among others, for their support.
Also speaking, Uvwie Council Chairman, Chief Anthony Ofoni; member representing Uvwie in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Edafe Emakpor; Leader of the Arewa Community in Uvwie, Alhaji Jauro Suleiman; and the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Delta Central and South Senatorial District, Chief Aminu Joel, noted that security is everyone’s business. They added that no meaningful development can take place in any society without security, and thanked stakeholders, especially the Ovie of Uvwie, for making the project possible.
Chairman of the Effurun Area Command Building Committee and Unuevworo of Ovwori, High Chief Urumedji Henry, said a secure society is the bedrock upon which development thrives.
He appealed to the Delta State Government, corporate organizations, blue-chip companies operating in and around Uvwie, financial institutions, oil and gas firms, contractors, philanthropists, and well-meaning individuals to partner with the Uvwie monarch and the committee to ensure completion of the project.
High Chief Henry revealed that the prototype design for the Effurun Area Command was obtained from the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
He said the proposed project consists of an administrative block, a rank and file quarters, and a perimeter fence, among other facilities.
