Child Rights: Delta Police Commissioner To Cooperate With Committee To Enforce Law

By Patrick Ochei

The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Ari Mohammed Ali has declared the willingness of the Police to assist the Delta State Child Rights Implementation Committee to ensure that the laws on rights of children in the State are protected and enforced.

He made this assertion when members of the Committee paid him Advocacy Visit at his office in Asaba on Monday 26th April, 2021.

The CP said the issues raised by the Committee were quite understood, adding that it would be a disservice on the part of Police not to take care of children and their rights.

His words, “Tomorrow belongs to the children. If we were not taken care of in our childhood days, we wouldn’t be here as leaders today.

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“I am assuring you that your work is noble and every support you need to enforce the rights of children will be readily given by the Police. We will begin by removing all encumbrances in the way of the Committee to enable it do its work.

“I am pleased to have you around and to understand that you are doing so much to ensure the protection of children in the State. Please feel free to utilize our officers who are members of the Committee to achieve your purpose”, CP Ari posited.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee and Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs. Kevwe Agas had congratulated the CP for making it to Delta while briefing him on the operations of the Committee.

Agas reminded the Commissioner that the Child Rights Act of 2003 which was domesticated in Delta in 2008, empowers the Committee to protect the rights of the child and enforce implementation of the law against offenders.

The Chairman affirmed that the visit was simply to solicit the CP’s support for quick response to cases of abuse, defilement and ill-treatment of children in the State as well as preventing their rights from being trampled upon by anybody.

In specific, Agas asked that the CP should send signals to the various Police Divisions in the State, giving them standing instructions to help the Committee in evacuating strayed children from the streets.

She buttressed by raising alarm on the incidents of strayed children, appealing that on seeing such scenarios the Police should already know what to do without being informed about it or appealed to first before carrying out their functions.

She listed other areas of need of quick intervention to include assisting the Committee on prompt arrest of child abusers, alerting the Committee of cases involving children, liasing with welfare officers for the custody of evacuated strayed children and more.

In addition, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Barr. Bridget Anyafulu thanked the CP for his warm reception of the Committee while urging him to ensure the fulfillment of his commitment.