By Zika Bobby

Assistant Inspector General of Police, Usman A. Gwari was in charge of Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia State, before his retirement  after 37 years in service. He speaks on the security situation in Anambra State as Commissioner of Police and how former governor Peter Obi and his successor, Willie Obiano changed the security situation in the state and made it safe for all.

When did you become CP Anambra?
I became Anambra Commissioner of Police in 2013 and I was involved in the 2013 election of Governor Willie Obiano and immediately after the election, my predecessor left Anambra and handed over to me. So, I worked with former fovernor Peter Obi. I equally worked with Governor Willie Obiano after he was sworn in.

As former Anambra CP, what were the challenges you faced and how did you tackle them?
Every policeman faces the challenge of crime. What we did was to outline our strategies to curb crime and provide peaceful environment for people to go about their normal businesses.  We started with Onitsha. By the time I took over, former governor Peter Obi was busy trying to restructure Onitsha. He was the one that started maintenance of the Upper Iweka and made it a safe haven by reducing motor parks around the area. He was able to transform Upper Iweka to the delight of visitors and residents.

In Awka and Nnewi, he also outlined strategies to make the places better. To be fair to him, crime rate was at its lowest ebb at the time I took over.  Despite that, we still had problem in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka; issues  like robbery, kidnapping and other minor crimes.

Do you think Obi really supported the police to work?
Within the short period I worked with him, I was very impressed.  I have no regrets. I will say that I had his confidence the time I worked with him. He did not only provide all that we needed, he was outstanding and knew the problem of Anambra very well. Whenever we requested logistics on some of the problems we outlined, he always responded positively. He paid 100 percent attention to security matters. That was what he also did to other security agencies like the Army, the Navy, DSS, Civil Defence and other para-military agencies.

If we outlined problems and place them on his table for consideration, he gave approval within hours.  It did not take him time to respond. In most cases, he got first-hand information on virtually every security matter. In fact, he was a policeman while in office. He was always on top of the situation. He knew the state in and out and had information more than anybody on happenings in the state.

Can you recall cases where he assisted in the area of logistics to make your work easier?

He gave a lot of vehicles, not only to the police but to all the security agencies. He paid weekly allowances of all those that were on duty. The same vehicles he gave to us, he gave to Anambra State Vigilance Groups in each community and markets as well as institutions. By the time I took over, the vigilance groups were already on ground. No criminal escaped from the state because the vigilance groups were motivated and capable, working with the police and other agencies. There was a strong synergy, which was made possible by his administration.

Can you say he overcame the security challenges in Anambra before leaving office?

Obi did very well because he helped us to reduce crime rate to the barest minimum, to the extent that crimes like armed robbery in banks became history, kidnappers ran away. The issue of destruction of houses where criminals used to perpetuate crime started during Obi’s time but it was well publicised during Obiano’s tenure. Obi initiated it and sent an Executive bill to the House of Assembly for confiscation and demolition of property used by kidnappers. This was the magic needed to deter people from kidnapping for ransom.

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Could you say that all the security agencies got the partnership and synergy from the government during your time?
When I came in, the first thing I did was to make sure that there was a very good synergy between the police and other security agencies. I initiated meetings with service commanders in my office, initially once a week before we later changed it to twice weekly.

And thanks to the former governor who provided virtually all we needed to work with, including all the logistics but not without his calculator close by. Obi was working in all institutions of government simultaneously and became a reference point then and I was happy when Governor Willie Obiano came and continued from where Obi stopped because Obiano inherited all the institutions started by Obi.

Obiano is consolidating on Obi’s foundations, because Obi was really an enigma and achieved in leaps and bounds.

You know, if you start something and somebody else takes it to the next level, there is tendency that the founder may be forgotten if care is not taken, especially when such a thing is widely accepted like the security in Anambra, which is one of the safest states in Nigeria.
So people now look at the periphery without checking the foundation but I must tell you that without the foundation, nothing would stand, so the foundation is important in any aspect of life.
Obi laid the foundation for security in Anambra and Obiano sustained it. You don’t look at Anambra projects and developments only on security, because Obi kept people busy and this helped reduced crime. He championed development of Anambra State and there is no doubt about Obi’s achievements in every area in the state. Obiano knew where he started and people can’t forget Obi in a hurry and there is no way development of Anambra would be written without a greater percentage not dedicated to Obi.

Who started the security trust fund in Anambra?
Peter Obi started the Security Trust Fund. It was already there when I came. It was a wonderful initiative and I don’t need to tell you how much that assisted me in serving and maintaining of our vehicles. The fund was so useful in so many other areas such as provision of logistics.

What do you hate or like about Obi?
There are lots of things one can admire or detest about a person. For me, Obi is very prudent in financial management. He follows up matter until he gets results and he requires accountability even to the last kobo he gives out. He is always preferred to use his calculator to make sure he does not make mistakes. He uses his calculator effectively such that those who don’t understand him and his philosophy may have issues with his ways of viewing life. To me, he is a very good man. I worked as CP in 12 commands in Nigeria but very few were like him in knowing details of every kobo released for public interest. To be sincere, he is a good man despite working with him for a very short time. You cannot talk of the present improvement in security in Anambra State without making reference to him because he initiated it. He actually started it, saw to its actualization and handed over the baton to Governor Obiano who is greatly sustaining the tempo. He is very meticulous and does not take anything for granted. He knows the mindset of Igbo people more than anyone else.

Do you have any regret being in Anambra?

Not at all, Anambra is one of the commands I worked that I never had any regret.

How was your working relationship with Obiano before you left?

I worked with Governor Willie Obiano for almost a year before I was promoted. One good thing is that Obiano continued where Obi stopped in the area of security and he took the security very serious and that is why Anambra is more secure today.  Anambra people must be grateful to Obi for the great work and clean up he did in Upper Iweka, which is being sustained by Governor Obiano.