Abia Police Deny Governor Opposed Officer Transfers: "No Such Directive Was Given"

The Abia State Police Command has pushed back against an online report claiming that Governor Alex Otti was blocking the transfer of police officers out of the state.

Over the weekend, a Facebook page named Public Watch News posted a story alleging that the governor had "directed" the state's police commissioner not to release any officer for transfer until further notice. The report, which cited an unnamed source, also claimed that Otti had told police authorities in Abia and Abuja that he was satisfied with the current officers serving in the state.

But the police aren't having it.

In a statement released on Monday, the command's spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, called the story false and misleading.

"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," Chinaka said.

She explained that routine transfers are a normal part of police administration, directed by the Inspector-General of Police. According to her, Abia Command has actually recently released officers who were reassigned to units like the Police Mobile Force, the Counter Terrorism Unit, training schools, and other state commands.

"The publication is therefore misleading and does not represent the position of the Command," added Chinaka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

She urged the public to ignore unverified information and rely on credible sources to avoid being misled.