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The Abia state police command has confirmed the abduction of the Divisional Crime Officer, (DCO) of Mbala Isuochi police station in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state, DSP Dickson by unknown gunmen.
Police Public Relations Officer of the Command (PPRO), SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, who confirmed the abduction of the officer, disclosed that frantic efforts are being made to secure his release from the kidnappers’ den.
The policeman was said to have been abducted in broad day light on Thursday, August 10, in the area while the Divisional Police Office (DPO) of the area and policemen escaped by whiskers in the attack.
Some policemen who lamented that the morale of officers in the area has gone down since the incident.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the leadership of the Police in the state had deployed all the tactical Squads of the State Police Command to rescue the victim and his abductors, but there were no trace of the abducted DCO
The unsuccessful search by the tactical team is said to have fueled speculation about the safety of the top policeman.
The angry policemen urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to put more efforts to check the rising kidnapping incidents in the Umunneochi/ Isuikwuato axis and liaise with the police hierarchy to reorganize the police in the state.
It was further gathered that the family of the kidnapped DCO has paid an undisclosed amount of ransom demanded by his abductors, yet the DCO is still held captive.
According to the policemen; “DSP Dickson hails from Enugu State. He has a health challenge and barely has just a few months to retire from the Nigeria Police. The police authorities have deployed the tactical team who went and combed the area without success. They have also sent some of us,but we are aware that they have not done enough to rescue him.
“The People of the state have complained about the rising rate of insecurity in the state and demanding for redeployment of the Commissioner of Police in the state,Mrs Agbede. Everyday they say Abia is peaceful and secure,but kidnappers are having a field day abducting and killing people.
“They’re saying all those things because we the affected police officers are not speaking up. There are serious security challenges all over the state, especially the Umunneochi/Isuikwuato axis. I don’t understand why the authorities are playing politics with reality. Why can’t they accept that there’s a problem and call for help? What’s happening all over the country is also here, but our own is suppressed and underreported.”