By Tony Okafor, Awka
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 13, Ukpo, AIG Miller Gajere Dantawye, has warned police personnel in Anambra State against “forum shopping” in the handling of complaints, directing that any matter reported at a police station must be investigated and concluded at that station.
Dantawye also warned that any police station or personnel found violating the directive would be sanctioned, stressing that complainants should not be allowed to move cases from one station to another simply because they preferred a particular police formation.
The AIG gave the directive on Friday, September 11, 2026, during an operational visit to the Anambra State Police Command, Awka, where he reviewed the command’s security operations and assessed its performance in the fight against violent and organised crime.
He said the directive was necessary to ensure accountability, professionalism and proper supervision in the handling of complaints and criminal investigations.
Dantawye also charged officers and men of the command to consolidate the gains recorded in the fight against criminality through discipline, professionalism, courage, effective supervision and strict adherence to the rule of law.
He placed particular emphasis on intelligence gathering and utilisation, directing commanders to deepen their intelligence networks, strengthen community engagement and ensure that actionable intelligence was promptly converted into operational interventions.
The AIG further ordered the command to intensify operations against kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, drug-related offences and other violent crimes.
He, however, cautioned that such operations must be conducted professionally and within the law, with due regard for the fundamental rights of citizens.
Dantawye also stressed the importance of public confidence in policing, urging officers to maintain respectful, responsive and professional relationships with members of the public.
According to him, credible intelligence and cooperation from communities remain critical to effective policing and the successful disruption of criminal networks.
The AIG commended the Anambra State Police Command for its operational performance and urged the officers to sustain the momentum rather than rest on their recent achievements.
The visit was followed by a presentation of the command’s one-month operational scorecard by the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama.
The Commissioner disclosed that the command had rescued three kidnapped victims and arrested 57 suspects in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence, murder and other serious offences within the period under review.
CP Nnanna further disclosed that police operatives recovered 18 assorted firearms and 43 rounds of ammunition, while a criminal camp was also destroyed.
He attributed the achievements to coordinated intelligence gathering, targeted tactical operations, strategic deployment and sustained pressure on identified criminal networks by the command’s tactical units, area commands and divisional formations.
The Commissioner said the operations were also carried out in collaboration with sister security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
He assured residents that the command would sustain its offensive against criminal elements, with operational priorities focused on intelligence development, precision deployment, aggressive patrols, rapid response and the disruption of criminal hideouts and networks.
CP Nnanna directed operational commanders and personnel to remain proactive, maintain heightened vigilance and continually adjust their deployment strategies in response to emerging crime patterns and intelligence.
He reaffirmed the command’s determination to deny criminals freedom of action and make Anambra increasingly hostile to kidnapping, armed robbery, cult violence and other forms of organised criminality.
The command appealed to traditional rulers, community leaders, the Police Community Relations Committee, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to sustain information-sharing and cooperation with the police.
It assured law-abiding residents that it would continue to deploy all lawful operational resources at its disposal to protect lives and property, disrupt criminal networks and maintain public order across the state
