Abia security: Police receive refurbished APC from govt

Abia state Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has handed over 5 newly refurbished and retrofitted Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) to the Abia state police command.

Speaking while handing over the vehicles to the commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa at the government house in Umuahia, governor Otti said that his administration on assumption of office 20 months ago met the vehicles in terrible states of disrepair.

“When we came in exactly 20 months ago, on the 29th of May 2023, we saw littered here these vehicles in very terrible states of disrepair,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor said that he took the bold step of repairing the vehicles knowing that they have long been abandoned and rendered unusable, adding that the last one has been taken to Abuja for thorough repairs.

“Being that I know that these vehicles have a long staying power, we took a very principal decision to refurbish one or two of them, by the time we started, we found out that it was not too difficult and therefore I authorized that about six of them be repaired.

“Five of them are ready, while we are still struggling with the last one, five of them have been completely retrofitted and they’re as good as new. It’s all about maintenance and our believe is that never again would we allow our assets to dilapidate to this state, a lot of things that we throw away can be easily fixed and we have demonstrated it,” Gov. Otti said.

The governor while stressing on the need for all to cultivate maintenance culture, vowed never to allow public assets deteriorate as such, saying they cost a lot of money to refurbish.

He charged those the vehicles would be entrusted to their care to ensure that the vehicles are judiciously used with regular maintenance.

“So, I will charge the men that would use it to ensure they’re used carefully and anything that needs to be repaired, to be repaired quickly because if you don’t, you will spend two to three times more to repair it and I am glad that we’re here today to return five of them to the police,” he said.

In a vote of thanks, the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Police Command, CP Danladi Isa thanked Governor Alex Otti for his numerous support to the Nigerian Police, saying that it is glaring in the public.

He said that the Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) would help them improve on their security duties and promised that the police would make judicious use of the Vehicles.