…No Illegal Detention In Our Facilities, Police
A police officer serving in Cross River State Police Command, Inspector Ngoro Edim has been shot dead by kidnappers.
This brings to two the number of policemen that have been killed in the state by gunmen within a month. Recall that a policeman, Martin Bang was killed two weeks ago by some political thugs during the Peoples Democratic Party ((PDP) primary in Obudu Local Government Area.
In this latest incident on Thursday night, it was gathered that some kidnappers went Kidnaped a shop owner and also robbed residents at Road 5 in Federal Housing Estate, Calabar Municipality whisking away their victim and killed a police officer whom they felt was a threat to their operation.
An eyewitness report said Edim was at the scene during the attack in uniform and the kidnappers seeing him on uniform felt he was a threat to their operation , shot him and zoomed off with the owner of the shop.
He was taken to a hospital along Calabar -Calabar , but he couldn’t make it, as he was confirmed dead at the facility.
Edim hailed from Agbaragba village in Ikom local Government area of Cross River state and a father of five, originally with B Division attached to Area Command but posted on special duty at Tinapa.
The Police Public Relations Officer , Cross River state Police Command , SP Irene Ugbo who confirmed the death of the Inspector and gave the assurance that his assailants will never go free as the police have already launched a manhunt for his killers.
She said, “he was not at his duty post during the incident , he only went to get something at a store near the scene of operation , and the criminals saw him as a threat , they decided not to take the risk of allowing him walk away.
“But I can assure them that they won’t go unpunished as we will surely get them , because never again will a police officer be killed , maimed , within a month we have lost two policemen , but we want those who are enemies of peace to know that we are ready for them” .
On the issue of illegal detention and torture of suspects in their custody especially with the special Units including Anti Cultism and Kidnapping Squad (ACKS), Ugbo said nobody in any of their facility was held without an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.
She added that apart from those who were still under investigation for serious offences like Kidnapping , murder and so on nobody in their custody was held illegally.
