The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Aderemi Adeoye, has rewarded a female officer with N250,000 for rejecting a bribe offered by a suspected armoured cable thief in the state.
The female officer, Charity Oyor, an inspector, serves at Onitsha Main Market Police Division in Onitsha North Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday which was forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES.
How the officer rejected the bribe
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said Ms Oyor was on traffic duty in the market on Wednesday when she saw a moving shuttle bus carrying six heavy bundles of armoured cables suspected to have been stolen.
The police spokesperson said the female officer flagged down the vehicle and enquired about the consignment from the driver.
He said the driver, rather than explain how he came about the cables, immediately offered the female officer a bribe which she rejected.
The police did not mention the amount offered to the female officer.
“The police inspector put a call across to her Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Superintendent Joy Chidinma Ikpeama who led police personnel to the scene and arrested the suspect,” Mr Ikenga said.
“The cable was impounded and taken to the (police) station for investigation,” he stated.
The police spokesperson said, at the police station, the suspect subsequently offered N500,000 as bribe to be allowed to go, but the officers at the facility rejected the bribe.
He said the DPO, consequently, briefed the police commissioner on the arrest and recovery of the cables.
“The commissioner of police then ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department Awka to take over the case for investigation with a view to unravelling where the used cables came from,” he said.
Award
At the presentation of the cash award on Friday, the commissioner commended the DPO for providing good leadership and also praised the female officer for her uprightness, Mr Ikenga said.
Mr Adeoye urged all police personnel in the state to always uphold the ethics of the profession by refusing to be compromised in the discharge of their duties.
Responding, Ms Ikpeama, the DPO, thanked the commissioner for leading by example, saying the female officer was inspired by his leadership style.
On her part, Ms Oyor, the female officer, promised to rededicate herself to the job just as she thanked the commissioner for his generosity.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of administration, Peter Umoru, was also present during the award ceremony.
