TheCable

The Nigerian police has said David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, is the “most  police-friendly governor” in the country.

The force, through Valentine Ntomchukwu, a deputy inspector-general in charge of the state command, presented Umahi with an award in recognition in Abakaliki.

Ntomchukwu said the governor merited the award which was presented to him on Thursday particularly because of “what he has done for the state command”.

He described the award as a mark of honour and “appreciation of your support to the police”.

“The inspector-general of police has asked me to tell you that you are the most police-friendly governor in Nigeria,” he said.

“I am not saying it because I am in Ebonyi state, it is because of what I have seen which you have done for the state police command.

“Honestly, on arrival to the police command, I saw streetlight and other things I have never seen in other police command and when I asked they said the governor did those things for the command.

“I can see houses for policemen of rank and file and I can see a storey building also built by the governor for the command. I am going to relay what I have seen to the IGP.”

Responding, Umahi said that plans were underway to ensure the welfare of police officers in the state.

He said the state intends to empower police officers’ wives as well as the wives of other security personnel in the state “to motivate their husbands to work more efficiently”.

The governor also appealed for the deployment of mobile policemen to always man the exit points of the state with the aid of CCTV.