Abia State Police Commissioner, Adeleye Oyebade, says the State Police Command has put in place, various strategies for combating crime during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Oyebade, while briefing newsmen in his office in Umuahia said his men have been strategically positioned to ensure that the highways were safe while financial transactions, particularly by the financial institutions, would go unhindered.

Oyebade assured commuters of their safety during the yuletide while charging operatives deployed to Safer Highways to ensure that there was no robbery in their areas of operation.

“I want to mention that our highways are safer now. So, I want to ask people who want to come home for Christmas and New Year in Abia State to come without any fear. Whichever road you are trying to come in through, we have been able to put in place, Safer Highways, strategically,” the Police Commissioner said.

“They are located to reassure you to travel any time you are on the road without any iota of doubt that you might be threatened by hoodlums or robbers. The position of the men is to give you that reassurance that you can travel without any form of molestation,” he added.

According to the Commissioner of Police, security on all the internal roads those that bound Abia and her neighbouring states have been beefed up. “Through Aba down to Obehie and up to our boundary with Rivers State, we have beefed up security. We have done so with the road leading to Enugu; we have also concentrated a lot of security arrangements on our outlets with Imo and the other outlets going to Ebonyi State,” he said.

Oyebade therefore advised members of the public or commuters to approach the safer highwaymen on the roads for any necessary assistance.

Addressing the Safer Highwaymen later, Oyebade charged them to ensure that all highways in Abia were well secured. He said: “Everyone of you have been given areas of responsibility. I will hold you responsible for anything that happens in your area of responsibility. There must be no car snatching; there must be no road block from you or any other hoodlums along the highways.

“All the roads leading to Aba are going to be busy throughout this period as we celebrate Christmas and New Year. You know that this period people are going to travel from outside the state to Abia State. All the positions you are keeping must be well maintained.

“The assurance must be for all travellers, travelling day and night, nothing funny will happen while they are travelling. You are there to secure, to ensure safety of all travellers, of all commuters. Any time they call on you for any assistance, you must therefore be able to respond swiftly and any time the control room gives you directive to go and assist, you must be ready and do it diligently.”

Oyebade urged the highwaymen to imbibe the core values of policing which, include being humble, honest and hardworking.

“I have told the leaders that they must take decisions in fairness, firmness and professionally. In these ‘ember months,’ there must be zero armed robbery on our highways. You must be very much at alert, everywhere must be covered. Remain on ground, well positioned, ready to respond. But we must not lose our men and arms. I wish you well,” he added.

Oyebade also announced that the Command would meet with the Bankers Forum to appraise them of the Command’s robust ‘ember months’ operational strategies to ensure that all banking activities were done without any threat. “We will meet with our own police officers and we will prepare overt and covert security arrangements that will endure during these ‘ember months’ and after,” he said.

•Photo shows Abia Police Commissioner Adeleye Oyebade.