Awka, Anambra State (Continued) 

Realising the daunting challenges facing us in the discharge of our statutory functions of making public roads safer for all road users, especially, as posed by the many touts who operate under the banner of road transport workers associations and the likes, I started thinking about the ways to strengthen our inter agency relationship with the Police and other paramilitary agencies in Anambra State.

“Think…Think out something. Be creative about it.”  I said to myself. “Yes, sports is usually an effective way of bringing groups together and building better relationships between them. But in this case, it must be such that can add value to the effective discharge of each of the agency’s statutory responsibilities. Combat sports. Unarmed combat sports. Apart from enhancing one’s mental and physical fitness, the vital skills of unarmed combat self-defence which boosts the individual’s self-confidence, are learned therefrom. I smiled to myself. That is it. We all in the Police and Paramilitary Agencies are daily confronted by situations that require defending ourselves from aggressors. I knew this sport would surely fly.

I therefore introduced the Kung-Fu derivative of unarmed combat/self-defence into the sports program of my command, the Federal Road Safety Corps, Anambra State. In collaboration with the Anambra State Kung-Fu federation, headed by Mr Lawrence Egbomuche, the Commissioner of Police, and the heads of Paramilitary Agencies in Anambra State, the sport was also introduced to the Mobile Police Force, the regular Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Prisons Service, and the Nigeria Immigration Service. After nine months of regular training, the Kung-Fu federation organized a well-publicized Kung-Fu championship tagged Police and Paramilitary Kung-Fu Championship.

The federal Road Safety Corps produced stunning performances in all the senior male and female categories to clinch the first position in the championship, followed by the Mobile Police Force. From then onwards, the other law enforcement agencies in Anambra State, in particular the Mobile Police men, stopped seeing FRSC operatives as a bunch of whistle-toting boy scouts and stretcher-bearing First Aid/rescue workers. And genuine mutual respect was established among us—the Police/Paramilitary services.

It indeed smacks of insensitivity on the part of those who headed the FRSC as the spate of assaults on road safety operatives on duty surged. While they surrounded themselves with armed Mobile Police and State Secret Service agents, they pushed FRSC operatives unarmed into Nigeria’s wild-as-the-jungle highways, with most of them given neither arms training to enable them use the already statutorily approved and acquired weapons to deter attacks and safeguard themselves from unwarranted assaults. They also neglected to give them unarmed combat training by which they could defend themselves from overbearing violent aggressors. Despite the fact that the FRSC Establishment Act provides for the bearing of arms while on duty, by FRSC regular operatives, apart from the initial arms training provided for her personnel, further arms training was discontinued. Sadly, deadly assaults on road marshals have been on the increase ever since.

There is virtually no violent crime committed whereby the perpetrators do not use the motor vehicle at some stages in the process. The highway remains a ready-made theatre for the perpetration of different sorts of violent crimes. The roads cannot be safe without being safeguarded and secured. It is virtually impossible in the world of today to effectively enforce laws without the physical instruments of law enforcement. Releasing ill trained, half-baked, unequipped persons into the highways to enforce road safety rules is, indeed, making mockery of law enforcement. Such persons are looked down on, and their being courteous in approach is deemed by many road users as cowardice. But, when well trained, smartly dressed and appropriately armed/equipped operatives are marshalled out on the highways to ensure safety and orderliness, their presence alone commands respect from road users and their politeness admired and commended. The need to properly train, equip and arm road safety operatives cannot be overemphasized.

Under my watch, stories of FRSC Anambra Command’s exploits in unarmed combat quickly travelled beyond Anambra State. Assaults on my men on patrol and in their offices virtually ceased. Those who ignorantly unleashed physical aggression on my men were full of regrets later. They were dazed by the type of response from road safety operatives who deftly defended themselves. The motoring public started admiring and respecting the clean, smart combat uniforms which my operational and field staff donned for patrol and public enlightenment activities. Some officers of the Military, Police and other Paramilitary services openly commended us. Every other person liked our new operational/combat uniform turnout.  

However, despite the fact that as at then, the Corps had no officially documented order of uniform dress code, and many of us, without any paramilitary uniform dress sense, were putting on awkward-looking, poorly tailored, ill-fitting ‘uniform’ dresses that even sameness of colour could hardly give them a semblance of uniformity, I received few grumblings and feeble criticisms, out of jealousy, from a hand full of my colleague senior members of the Corps who never would commend anyone for any good deed, except it came from one of their clique members. They even influenced my then Zonal Commanding Officer, Mr Adab, who earlier on admired the combat outfits, and requested for one, which I made for him. He soon turned around and accused me in writing of training an Army in disguise and making combat uniforms for them. From then on, Mr Adab started searching for any excuse to run me down. He even went as far as handing over my Annual Performance Evaluation Review (APER) form to an officer a rank below me to assess me. And that officer did, wrote his name and appended his signature on my APER form, as my supervising officer. Considering the later acts of acrid animosity Mr Adab displayed towards me, if he could, he would have arraigned me on charges of planning a coup or an insurrection.

In Anambra State, I worked with some of the best Heads of Security Agencies. Their cooperation made my tour of duty there a lot smoother. Tony Okojie of the DSS, Sam Eluwa and Nweze of the Immigration and Prison Services respectively, and Evans Ewurum of the NSDC were all quintessential gentlemen. I observed specific endearing qualities in each of the Commissioners of Police and some senior Police officers I had working relationships with in Anambra State. From CP Dan Anyogo, that wise, unassuming, tough, battle-tested crime fighter, through CP Abubakar, a thoroughly professional cop, to CP Adanaya Gaya. There was also the cerebral Chris Olakpe, a finely hewn cop. He was the then Area Commander of Awka Area Command. He later became the CP Bayelsa State.

CP Adanaya Gaya. Kind. Accommodating. Yet precise. He made possible the location of the FRSC Accident and Emergency clinic at Nteje, near Awka. When it proved difficult to secure a sizable piece of land along the Awka – Onitsha highway to set up the clinic, I intimated him of our predicament.

“We will see what we can do about it.” He said in a casual manner.

The next day he called me.

“Could you come over to my office as soon as you can? Let’s go look up something together.” His voice was warm.  

I immediately left whatever I was doing and hurried to his office. He was ready, waiting for me.

“Okay, Chike let’s go. Come ride with me.”

He took me to that very piece of land at Nteje, which belonged to the Police. Together, we inspected the place. He looked at me, smiled and said:

“Will this place serve the purpose?”

“Certainly yes” I answered.

“Then it is yours. You can use it.” He affirmed

A police officer clutching a surveyor’s tape quickly approached us where we were standing.

“Can we go ahead and measure out the area you have granted them, sir?” He asked the CP.

“Sure. And please be fast about it.” The CP responded.

While we drove back to Awka, I sincerely thanked him for his uncommon gesture. The next day, I forwarded my report to RSHQ. Not long after, a team was sent from Abuja to perfect the handover of the piece of land from the Police to the FRSC to enable the clinic construction take off.

To be continued..