How we caught Evans, police disclose, as officers are sacked

By Tunde Adetunji, Abuja
Notorious kidnapper, Evans, (real names, Chukwujeme Onwamadike) became an easy pick for the Nigerian Police, because of information sharing and intelligence cooperation with Ghanaian counterparts, Police boss, Idris Ibrahim, has said in Ghana.
Idris’ disclosure comes as the The Police Service Commission, (PSC), sent home four senior police officers for indiscipline.
The dismissed officers are an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and three Assistant Superintendents of Police, (ASPs).
In a paper titled: “The role of Nigeria Police in national security and its contributions in West Africa,” Idris said
“For several years, Evans terrorised Nigerians and nationals of many countries across West Africa. Efforts to apprehend him did not yield the desired results until we spread our search net wider.”
Speaking on Nigeria’s police might, he disclosed that there are 300,000 personnel in 127 area commands and 5,303 divisions.
“The Nigeria Police Force trained 250 Liberian Police personnel in 2005 and has consistently offered training slots to police officers from Gambia and Sierra Leone at the Police Staff College, Jos and the Police Academy, Wudil.
“We also trained 100 police officers from the Republic of Niger on mobile police combat in 1998. At the end of the training, Nigeria donated trucks, riot equipment and tear smoke to the Nigerien government,” Idris said.
Head, Press and Public Relations of the Police Service Commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said an Assistant Superintendent Police was compulsorily retired while one Superintendent of Police, two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) and one ASP were demoted.
In his statement, Wednesday, Ani revealed that eight senior police officers were also given severe reprimand while six other officers received the punishment of reprimand, four received warning letters, one got a letter of advice and seven others were exonerated.
“It (PSC) considered and approved the compulsory retirement of three officers, who also appealed their punishments and affirmed its earlier decision on reinstatement of two other officers,” he said
It was not all bad news. 14 senior police officers were reinstated following appeals and petitions received by it. Three officers had their seniority restored; and another three reinstated and retired.
The PSC’s plenary in Abuja threw out 11 appeals while approval was given for the promotion of one Deputy Superintendent of Police.