Akaeze: Nigeria’s Crime Infested Town Where Banks, Policemen Fear to Go …Citizens Send SOS to IGP

This article was sent to NewsmakersNG by troubled citizens of Akaeze town in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Concerned Citizens/

Sometimes things that need to be done are not done by those who ought to take action.

This is the case of Akaeze town, its people and the inadequate policing of the town.

Akaeze is a border town in Ivo LGA of Ebonyi State with external borders with Enugu State via Okpanku and Abia State via Ugwueke, Item, Mkporo.

This places Akaeze in a strategic position of economic and social importance within Ebonyi State and other states.

Almost every conceivable activity thrives in Akaeze, yet the town has no Federal and state government presence especially those that will guarantee the safety of lives, businesses and properties and for these reasons cannot attract other allied developmental projects that make for a robust economy and life.

Akaeze has no Federal tertiary institution, parastatals, Government Ministries, Electricity, good interstate connecting roads, industries etc.

Of utmost importance and that which this article seeks to address is the non-existence of Police patrol visibility and presence and adequate policing of the town as its strategic location suggests and should attract.

Dating from pre-Biafra war and post-Biafra war till date, Akaeze has only a Police post manned by less than five policemen till date. For this and other reasons, no meaningful progress and development has been going on in the town.

1. Banks have rejected all efforts made to bring even one to operate in Akaeze citing insecurity, crime and underdevelopment both in infrastructure etc as their reasons.

2. Rape, kidnapping, theft, killings etc are almost everyday occurrences and these are underreported if at all reported.

3. It is an escape route for kidnappers, rapists, criminals who might have committed such atrocities in other towns, communities and villages within Ebonyi State and other states it shares borders with.

4. With the rise in terrorism and attacks, Akaeze is not left out since this menace is a global phenomenon that knows no bound.

There are still more that time and space may not allow me to point out.

Now the sole aim of this article is to alert the Nigeria Police authorities to an urgent need to expressly elevate the status of Akaeze from just a Police post to Police Division from where Nigeria Police will adequately monitor, guide and protect lives, businesses, properties and travellers who pass through Akaeze to various parts of Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Abia State and other connecting states as Akaeze offers the only shortest and good road/route through Okigwe in Imo State to Afikpo, Abakaliki, Amasiri, etc in Ebonyi State, Okpanku, Oduma etc in Enugu State.

Akaeze with its huge and saturated population viable for business, social life and farming cannot be left without a Police Division that will assure its teeming population of the safety of the women and girl child, school children and other vulnerable people.

We, therefore, urge the Inspector General of Police, Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to expedite action to see that this upgrade is effected without much delay.

It is praiseworthy to note that IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu has listening ears and capable of coming to the aid of the people of Akaeze who have two large autonomous communities with many villages under them.

Worthy of mention again is the communal wars and interstate wars that erupt every farming season between Akaeze communities and other border communities within Ebonyi State and those of other states. The absence of Police Division has robbed Akaeze town of the much needed peace in the area since it is obvious that less than five policemen cannot do anything meaningful and tangible in policing the town let alone curbing the rising rate of crime and other vices prevalent in Akaeze.

Another most unfortunate part of this inadequate policing and lack of police visibility in Akaeze town is being witnessed almost daily especially in this COVID-19 pandemic era when a lot of people and traders are flooding the town to buy farm produce like garri, yam, rice, cocoyam, vegetables, bush meats of all types and other edibles were robbed of their cash and other belongings.

It may interest you to know that buyers of food items come from different parts of the country and even Cameroon to buy farm produce. Incidences abound where they are robbed of cash ranging from N500, 000 to N2, 000, 000 at various points of exits. Not only that they are robbed, but they are also stabbed with knives and other dangerous weapons that could maim or kill them. And for how long will these continue in a town that had Police outpost in the early 60s? SOS, in this case, is but a mild way of putting up our request and we are hopeful the IGP will act swiftly too.