Police react to report of Otti opposing transfer of officers in Abia

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The police in Abia State have dismissed as false a report which claimed that Governor Alex Otti of Abia was opposing the transfer of officers in the south-eastern state.

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A Facebook page called Public Watch News published a report on the social media site on Sunday, claiming that Mr Otti “directed” the police commissioner in Abia not to transfer “any officer pending further directives”.

The page, quoting an unnamed source, said the governor had told the police authorities in Abia and in Abuja that he was comfortable with the performance of the current crop of officers serving in the state.

However, the police dismissed the report as false and misleading in a statement issued on Monday.

“At no time did the Governor of Abia State direct the Commissioner of Police to withhold the release of personnel transferred from the Abia State Command to other formations,” the police spokesperson in Abia, Maureen Chinaka, said in the statement.

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“Police personnel are intermittently released on transfer as may be directed by the Inspector-General of Police.”

Ms Chinaka, a deputy superintendent of police, said that the police in Abia recently released officers transferred to other formations, including the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, training institutions, and other commands “in consonance with the directives of the Inspector-General of Police”.

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“The publication is therefore misleading and does not represent the position of the Command.

“The public is advised to disregard fake and unverified information and is encouraged to obtain information from reliable and credible sources to avoid misinformation and stay updated with timely and relevant information,” the police spokesperson added.