CP Ari Muhammed Ali
By Jon Egie
The Delta State Police Command has given reasons for the heavy traffic congestion being presently experienced at the Onitsha Headbridge by commuters and debunked claims of ineptitude of the police by critics .
A statement issued by the Command’s PPRO, Bright Edafe, yesterday, succinctly explained the situation and exonerated the police from being complicit to the frustration of commuters especially at the yuletide on the Bridgehead.
“The attention of the Delta State Police Command has been drawn to a117seconds video clip with the above caption which has gone viral in various social media platforms.
“In the said clip which captured the traffic hold-up on the Asaba – Onitsha Expressway towards the River Niger Headbridge, recorded in an admixture of English and Igbo languages, a voice could be heard of a seemingly frustrated motorist, understandably bemoaning the traffic situation on the ever busy road linking the South West to the South – Eastern part of the country.
“The voice in the narrative, wrongly accused officers of the Force as being responsible for the heavy traffic at the head bridge.
“However, following a careful examination of the trending clip, the Command wishes to state as follows:
1.That the accusation is not only false but a deliberate effort by the narrator to mislead members of the public and to bring the image of the Command into disrepute.
2.The Command has been doing all its possible best daily to ease the traffic at the HeadBridge and will continue to do so.
3.It should be noted that the video was recorded on 14th December, 2021 being a Tuesday. Owing to the fact that people do not usually ply the route on Mondays due to the situation in the Eastern part of the country, it is expected and quite natural that the traffic flow to the market will be heavy on Tuesdays. The fast approaching Yuletide season is another contributory factor as more people are traveling eastwards for the celebrations.
4. It is a notorious fact that the bridge which was commissioned for use in 1965 in response to the vehicular traffic flow of that era is grossly inadequate and structurally not designed to deal with the vehicular flow of present time. The single lane of the bridge can not easily accommodate the four lanes flowing into it without causing traffic jam as it is currently being experienced.
5. Truth be told, the narrowing down of the multiple lanes to a single lane as well as the narrow exit at the Onitsha end is solely responsible for the overflow at the Asaba entrance of the bridge. This is very visible to every discerning mind.
6. That the current situation at the Headbridge is not strange neither is it a sudden development as the Federal Government who is bent on tackling the problem headlong commenced the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge to ease the pains of motorists on the route.
7. That the Delta State Police Command under the watch of CP. Ari Muhammed Ali is working with the State government and other sister agencies involved in traffic management including the FRSC both in the state and in Anambra state with a view to seeing that the HeadBridge is decongested. The Command remains committed to its goal and will not be deterred by any ill-intentioned comment from whatever quarter.
6. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police has made additional deployments to the area, including Monitoring Teams, to ensure that no one impedes the flow of traffic under any guise. The Command is thus appealing to members of the public for full cooperation during and after this season as lawlessness anywhere in the state will not be tolerated.” The statement said.
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