Police: Unuagba Laments Delay In Upgrade Of Eku District Office To Division 

 By Karo Efe

A former Chairman of Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon. Chief Ochuko Unuagba, has lamented the delay in the upgrade of Eku District Office to a Police Division, saying that the areas covered by the station exceed that of many Police Divisions in the state.

Speaking to journalists in Eku recently, Unuagba noted that Eku was a big town in dire need of a Division, adding that the District Office has the facilities, equipments and logistics fitting of a standard Police Division.

He said: “Eku is a very big town in dire need of a Police Division. Few years back, we were having serious security challenges as the District Officer and Police officers policing the area were few and unable to meet our security needs, so we decided to build a bigger District Office with the facilities and logistics of a Police Division.

“At the moment, the place is set and with all the facilities and equipments that qualifies it as a standard Police Division, but it is yet to be upgraded to a Division even though we now have a bank in Eku.

“The bank is expending so much money in securing the bank as it has secured the Army to be guarding the bank which is supposed to be the exclusive duty of the Police.

“We urge the Inspector General of Police, to as a matter of urgency, upgrade the District Office to a Division. We have written series of letters and applications to the Delta State Police Command and relevant authorities.”

He revealed that the District Office had been inspected by the Police Command, but wondered why it is yet to upgrade Eku’s District Office to a Division.

“Eku is big enough to have a Police Division. We have three higher institutions namely: the Baptist Nursing School, Eku; Eku Pastoral School which awards a Degree and the National Training Institute with headquarters in Kaduna. Eku is not a village but a standard urban area with huge population, so; we don’t know why there is a delay in the upgrade,” he said.

Asked if the community has gotten any feedback from the Police authorities, stating the reason behind the delay in upgrading the District Office to a Division, the former local government chairman, stated: “All we want is for the place to be upgraded to a Division and if this is done more officers will be posted to meet the security needs of the community, bank and students.

“The place is bigger than many Divisions in this state. We have three cells of which one is for the women and two for men, there is armory and more than four offices for the Divisional Police Officer, DCO, Traffic Officer and Crime Officers. The water system is working, generating set fully operational and every other thing needed in a Police Division. So we don’t know why the Police high command is yet to approve the place.”

He continued: “We have our representatives at the state and national level, but nothing has come out despite our please to them to help us pursue the upgrade. “We expect Chief (Hon.) Evance Ivwurie, Member representing Delta State House of Assembly, Ethiope East constituency, Hon. Lovette Idisi, Member, House of Reps, Ethiope Federal Constituency and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, representing Delta Senatorial district in the Red Chamber to be able to do something about this need in our community.

According to him the move to upgrade the police station to a division has lingered for more than a year.