William Shakespeare’s immortal words that a coward dies many times before his death was once more proved true yesterday in the South-East state of Anambra when an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to the Central Police Station, Nnewi, reportedly slumped following a directive from the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, posting him to Maiduguri, capital of troubled Borno State in the country’s North-East.

“The officer, who is of South-east extraction, and reports said had less than a year left to retire from the service was among the 149 officers affected by the postings to different parts of the country,” says a THISDAY report.

As noted in the report, “Borno State is the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has led to the death of over 12,000 Nigerians. Just 66 days ago, the terror sect abducted over 200 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.”

The officer, according to the report, was however revived by doctors and other medical personnel at a private hospital in Nnewi to which he was rushed after he slumped.

“The transfer of almost 150 senior police officers serving in the state has cast a dark cloud on the entire command,” says THISDAY, adding:

“It was gathered that the letter of transfer signed by Dan Azumi Job, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, indicated that officers within the ranks of ASP and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) were affected in the mass transfer.

“According to the signal from the AIG, obtained by THISDAY, the affected officers were supposed to have reported to their new command on June 9, 2014.

“The Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano had about a fortnight ago requested the IGP to transfer out some of the officers within the police command following the allegation that some of them were colluding with criminal elements in the state, therefore making his battle against criminals difficult.”

However, “some of the affected officers are alleging ethnic bias in the transfers, as most of those affected were said to be of southern extraction, especially the Igbos who are protesting their transfer to the Boko Haram prone states,” reports the paper.

It quotes some of the officers as alleging that while only two officers were transferred to Abia State, 12 officers were transferred to Bauchi; six to Borno; seven to Adamawa; six to Jigawa; seven to Gombe; one to Imo, two to Akwa Ibom two; two to Cross-River; two to Enugu two; two to Edo; three to Delta; and five to Ekiti, among others.

•Photo shows Police IG, Mohammed Abubakar.

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