By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
Perhaps to give greater bite to the fight against insecurity or a mere routine posting, but Benue State, reeling from the blood-filled onslaught of killer herdsmen, has a new Commissioner of Police (CP).
He is CP Emenari Innocent Ifeanyi, a veteran officer,with a reputation for toughness. He hails from Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, South-East Nigeria.
Recall that following the recent upsurge in killings and destruction by suspected Fulani herders on communities in Benue and Plateau States, an angry President Bola Tinubu had ordered security top brass to end the unnecessary bloodfest, arson and displacement of residents by the attackers.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benue State Police Command, Sewuese Catherine Anene, said the new CP, a doctorate degree holder, is a graduate of Theatre Arts from the prestigious University of Jos, Plateau State.
His quest for more knowledge, the statement added, took him to Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, where he bagged a Master of Arts degree and subsequently PhD in Literature in English.
According to the statement, the new Benue police boss was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Academy in 1992.
CP Ifeanyi brings over three decades of policing experience to his new role as Benue Police boss.
The police spokesperson stated that the seasoned officer has served in various operational, investigative and administrative capacities across the country.
The states he served include Zamfara, Imo, Katsina, Anambra, Cross River, Osun, Ogun, Abia and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
As a Mobile Police Officer, the CP served as Unit Commander, 27 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Katsina State from 1996-1999; Unit Commander, 29 PMF, Awka, Anambra State from 1999-2002; and Unit Commander, 11 PMF, Calabar, Cross River State from 2002-2003.
CP Ifeanyi has represented Nigeria in different Foreign Missions where he served as Commanding Officer, being Contingent Commander, Nigeria Police Contingent to United Nations Mission in Sudan; Ops Officer, Joint Operation Center (JOC), Khartoum, Sudan; Deputy Security Advisor, Eastern Equatorial State, South Sudan, in 2012.
Other leadership roles he held include Commandant, Police College of Information Technology, Abeokuta; and Area Commander, Akwete Area Command, Abia State, among many others.
CP Ifeanyi has undergone extensive trainings, including Unit Combat Course, PMF Training; Armoured Personnel Carrier Course, PMF training School, Gwoza; and the Strategic Leadership and Command Course (SLCC) at the National Institute of Police Studies, Abuja in 2020.
Before his posting to Benue State, he had also served as CP, Force Provost Marshal.
Already the new CP has pledged to strengthen community policing and partnerships, enhance security measures to protect lives and properties and use available resources to combat insecurity in the State.
