Ukorebi Esien | 25th October 2023
Calabar, the capital city of Cross River was once known as the safest, most secure, and peaceful city in Africa not up till eight years ago when things started taking a different turn.
But the advent of Sen. Prince Bassey Otu’s led administration may be on the verge of changing the narrative.
Recall that sometime in June 2017, two policemen and a naval rating lost their lives in Calabar, after some suspected naval officers attacked a police station.
Trouble started around 5:00 p.m. when police traffic controllers attempted to stop some naval officers who flouted the red light at the traffic point along IBB by Stadium junction.
While some eyewitnesses said the naval officers not only ignored the policemen but also beat them up, others told newsmen that trouble started when the unidentified naval rating was shot in the left shoulder by a policeman over a traffic offense.
There would have been a repeat of this ugly incident but not for the timely intervention of Hon. Moses Osogi, Cross River State Commissioner for Environment.
Tuesday Morning saw an altercation between men of the Nigerian Correctional Services and the Cross River State Traffic Regulatory And Management Agency, TRAMA which would have led to a full-blown conflict and further paint the state in bad light.
According to an eyewitness account, an officer with the Arm Squad unit of the Nigerian Correctional Services who was off duty decided to use his vehicle for a side hustle around the Calabar Stadium axis of the state where taxis load passengers going to Atimbo and Eta Agbor.
The officer who was parked by the roadside was on a call with his mobile phone when members of the State Traffic Regulatory Agency, TRAMA formerly known as DOPT drove in a James Bond style blocking him from driving out.
The TRAMA men quickly jumped down from their van in a commando manner as though they were on a mission to apprehend a criminal. Before you could say, Jack, they were all over his vehicle. A lady and one man from the TRAMA team quickly opened both the driver’s and the passenger’s door trying to gain access into the vehicle uninvited. While the lady sat on the passenger seat, the other man was seen trying to get the car key out of the car ignition. At this point, another man was trying to remove the plate number from the vehicle.
Our correspondent who was at the scene of the incident gathered that the Correctional Service officer was seen trying to explain himself to the leader of the team who wouldn’t want to listen but was still insisting his vehicle be impounded.
At some point, the Officer was seen pushing and struggling with the TRAMA men who were also pushing back and trying hard to disarm him of his car key and plate number.
The noise and the scene alerted some officers with the armed Squad unit of the Correctional Services who were on duty very close to the scene just before CRBC.
Just as the officers arrived at the scene and were about the display to rescue their colleague, it was at that same instance that the Cross River State Commissioner for Environment who was driving along IBB way stopped by and averted what would have escalated into a full-blown war between the two sister agencies of government.
The Commissioner who stepped out of his car called both parties together reprimanding each party for their wrong while advising that the two sister agencies who were meant to protect citizens and ensure law and order weren’t supposed to be seen causing a nuisance and promoting conflict which if taken to social media might further paint the state as unsafe, especially this period where the carnival is around the corner with visitors wanting to come spend their holiday in Calabar.
Osogi who advised that the two agencies rather have mutual respect and play complementary roles in maintaining law and others within the state asked both parties to avoid what will result in a repetition of the 2017 Police versus Navy sad incident.