Navy/Police Clash: Naval Chief Talks Tough
*Visits Burnt Akim Police Station
*Promises to discipline perpetrators
BY ARCHIBONG EYO, CALABAR – The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has condemned as unfortunate and shameful the dreadful exchanges between some personnel of the Nigerian Navy and the Police that resulted in the unwarranted loss of lives and property in Calabar, the Cross River State capital recently.
Ibas expressed regrets over the ugly incident when he led top Naval officers to the Akim Police Station, Calabar for on-the-spot assessment of the damage perpetrated by some Navy personnel during last week’s skirmish between both security agencies.
The Police and Navy face-off culminated in the wanton destruction of lives and properties, with the Akim police station partially destroyed while houses and vehicles were burnt with reckless abandon.
Vice Admiral Ibas condemned the emerging challenge of seeming discord among government security agencies, emphasizing that their training ordinarily discourages what was witnessed during the reprehensible attack on the Police station and its men.
According to the Naval Chief, the Naval authorities are determined to unravel the cause of the crisis, assuring that adequate punitive measures will be meted out to all those identified as having encouraged or participated in the breakdown of law and order.
He commiserated with the families of the Policemen who lost their lives in the clash, and re-assured the government and people of Cross River that such unfortunate incident would never occur again in the State.