-
Deceased officers left behind two pregnant wives, 10 kids
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Cross River State Police Command has vowed to fish out and bring to justice the killers of four policemen at a checkpoint along the popular MCC-Idungdung road on Etab Ayip axis in Calabar Municipality on Thursday last week.
This is as the Command consoled families of the slain officers with assurances that the death of their husbands, fathers and breadwinners will not be in vain.
The four police officers on mufti during the incident; Inspector Abam Otu, Inspector Samuel John, Felix Abang, and Sergeant Godspower Okoi, were brutally gunned down by the criminals, throwing the police community and the entire state into untold sorrow.
According to Akande, who paid condolence visits to families of the slain cops, the Command will stop at nothing making the criminals pay for their dastardly act.
He assured the widows and children that the Force will ensure full support for them, promising that they will never be abandoned in in their trying times and beyond.
Represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, Mohammed Ali, the Police boss described death as a predictable end for every mortal, but said the officers’ untimely death is so agonising because the Command has lost gallant men with great value.
He said; “We have lost gallant men with so much value to add to the police, they left behind four widows of which two are heavily pregnant with about 10 children to be catered for.
“We will never abandon them, we will ensure they are comfortable and get all the needed support they deserve. Their fathers and husbands served very well, we are still in great mourning and we are still in grief.
“Their death has affected us but can never dampen our spirit, instead we are fired up to do more to ensure that Cross River remains the safe haven that it is, nothing can change our resolve in effectively policing the state.”
Speaking separately, the widows, on their part, appreciated the Police force for showing concern and support to their respective families in these trying times.
Admitting that the deaths remained irreparable losses to their families, they said surrendering to the will of God has given them comfort and the strength to carry on in life.
One of the widows, Mrs Ijeoma Samuel, who expressed surprise at the high-powered delegation of senior officers that visited the individual families, said; “I feel loved. I feel comforted by the fact that a Commissioner of Police could visit a rank and file even in death. I feel honoured. This has shown that the police truly cares about their own, it’s painful, but God knows best.
“I take solace in the fact that we have not been abandoned. I really thank the entire Police Force, especially Cross River State Police Command and the Commissioner of Police, Sikiru Akande in particular.”
Meanwhile, as investigation into the killings continues, the Police Commissioner has disclosed that five that five suspects were now in their custody in connection with the tragic incident.
Addressing journalists in his office, Akande had said; “We have arrested five persons who are connected with the development. We will still arrest more. We had an inkling that it is a group of suspected cultists that are working hard to get weapons for their initiation that is coming up very soon.”
