Plateau House of Assembly crisis: State gets new police commissioner

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, has posted Bartholomew Onyeka to the Plateau State Police Command as the new Commissioner of Police.

This followed the redeployment of CP Edward Egbuka to the Force headquarters for other national engagements.

This is happening five days after the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Abok Ayuba, was impeached and replaced by Yakubu Sanda allegedly by six lawmakers.

This has thrown the state in disarray with youths protesting the development amid increasing tension in the state over killings by suspected herdsmen.
There are concerns that the crisis in the assembly might further stoke instability in the state.

Read also: Police seals off Plateau Assemby amid speaker impeachment crisis

But announcing the deployment of the new CP in a statement on Wednesday, the force spokesman, Frank Mba, disclosed that Onyeka hails from Nkume, in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Punjab University, India.

The statement titled, ‘IGP orders posting of CP Nnamdi Onyeka as Commissioner, Plateau State,’ further said that the CP has attended several tactical and leadership courses within and outside Nigeria, including Strategic Leadership and Command Course Police Staff College, Jos; Financial Malpractices Investigation Course, and Armed Conflict Management Course, Command Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

“He has served in various operational, investigative, and administrative capacities in Bauchi, Imo, Abia, Zamfara State commands and Zone 1 headquarters, Kano.

It stated, “The IGP, while assuring the people of Plateau State of the unrelenting commitment of the police leadership to containing prevailing and emerging crimes in the state, charged the new Commissioner of Police to deploy his community-building experience in ensuring improved public safety and security of lives and property of the citizenry in the state.

“He enjoined the people of Plateau State to continuously work with the police for effective policing of their communities.”

(The Punch)