The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Rasheed Afegbua has said that he had made giant strides within four months in office.
Speaking with journalists in Calabar, the Commissioner said his command had been able to prosecute over 253 cases in various courts and secured conviction of 94 cases in court.
According to the Police Commissioner, out of 1,573 cases charged to court, only five cases were discharged and only six are on Appeal while 53 are pending.
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Afegbua said: “I warmly welcome you all to my first media parley, which is focused on reviewing the state of security in Cross River State beginning from 7th July, 2025 when I took over the mantle of leadership of the Command to date, as we prepare for the Yuletide celebrations. My approach to policing this state has been guided by three core principles: visible presence, intelligence-led operations, and partnership-driven policing.”
He said that the Command has been collaborating to create a safe, stable, and law-abiding Cross River where criminal elements are denied the space to operate, and citizens feel protected, not just policed.
“To achieve this, we disrupted criminal networks through targeted intelligence-led operations. Increased police presence and response capacity in urban, rural, and border communities via visibility policing. Restored trust and accountability in police-community relations, strengthened inter-agency collaboration to ensure coordinated security efforts.
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“Our immediate focus was on murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and cultism as identified in hotspots. Securing rural communities, particularly those vulnerable to communal conflict. Protecting schools, markets, and key state assets. Reducing internal misconduct by enforcing discipline and public accountability.
“Let me take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to the Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for finding me worthy to be posted as the Commissioner of Police Cross River State. I also thank the Governor of Cross River State His Excellency, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, for his immeasurable support and commitment to the Nigeria Police Force in the state since my assumption of office.”
