Abia CP Orders End to Unmarked Police Vehicles, Extortion

Abia CP Orders End to Unmarked Police Vehicles, Extortion

The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, CP Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, has ordered an immediate end to the use of unbranded vehicles by police officers and warned against extortion, improper dressing and abuse of office in the command.

Afolabi gave the directives on Saturday, August 22, 2026, while flagging off the Community Safety Partnership Initiative at the Area Command Headquarters, Aba, where he assured residents and other stakeholders of the command’s commitment to professional and community-oriented policing.

The Commissioner said police officers must be properly dressed and wear clearly visible name tags to enable members of the public to identify them easily. He declared that the command would not tolerate violations of professional standards, particularly extortion and abuse of office.

The directive followed concerns raised by stakeholders during an interactive session at the event.

Participants complained about pickpocketing and petty crimes in Aba, proliferation of local security outfits, alleged abuse of office by some vigilante personnel, road extortion by security personnel and non-state actors, as well as the use of unmarked police vehicles and failure by some officers to properly identify themselves.

Afolabi assured the stakeholders that the concerns would receive prompt attention, adding that officers had been sensitised on professional conduct and would be held accountable for violations.

He disclosed that the command was training and retraining its personnel on modern crime-prevention strategies, intelligence gathering and crime mapping as part of efforts to strengthen intelligence-led policing.

According to him, the command is also continuously updating its community crime maps to facilitate targeted deployment and effective response to security threats.

The CP further announced plans to revamp the command’s Cybercrime Unit to enhance its capacity to tackle emerging digital crimes.

He called for stronger synergy between the police, approved community security outfits and other security agencies, stressing that effective policing could not be achieved in isolation.

The initiative attracted traditional rulers, local government officials, women and youth groups, motor unions, the Police Community Relations Committee, religious and community leaders, traders, as well as representatives of the DSS, NSCDC, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service and other security groups.

The Commissioner urged members of the public to provide credible and timely security information to the police, stressing that community participation was essential to effective crime prevention.

He assured stakeholders that the Community Safety Partnership Initiative would be sustained and extended to other Area Commands across Abia State as part of the command’s broader strategy to promote lasting peace and security.

During an interactive session, stakeholders raised concerns over pickpocketing and petty crimes in Aba, the proliferation of local security outfits, alleged abuse of office by some vigilante personnel, the use of unmarked vehicles by police officers, improper dressing and lack of identification by some officers, protection of informants, and road extortion by security personnel and non-state actors.

The stakeholders, however, commended the police command for its efforts in maintaining security in the state and called for sustained engagement with communities.