BENIN CITY – Traffic control in Benin City has received another major boost as the commissioner of police, Edo State CP Johnson Babatunde Kokumo has inaugurated a special marshal team to assist in ensuring free flow of vehicular and human traffic on roads in the state capital.

The outfit codenamed “PCRC traffic and crowd control marshal team” made up of agile-looking men and women, was flagged off at the conference hall of the state police command headquarters in Benin City about 4pm on Monday, December 1, 2020.

Inaugurating the team, CP Kokumo said that traffic control was a difficult task as some members of the public could be very erratic, hence the need for the officers to remain calm.

“Traffic control is a very very difficult exercise, I am not trying to scare you but to prepare your mind for some of the challenges you will face.

“Some members of the public can be very very erratic. Some will criticize and even assualt you.

“When others are losing their temper remain calm so that you can have the physical and mental capability to record what is happening”. CP Kokumo advised.

The police chief further thanked the inductees for offering to do a job for which nobody will pay them a dime.

The however warned that any erring member of the team would be arrested by the police.

“On this day 1st of December, 2020, I, the commissioner of police, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo do commission the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Edo State chapter’s traffic and crowd control marshal.

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“This commissioning is done in the spirit of community policing philosophy….”CP Kokumo noted.

Earlier, the chairman, PCRC, Edo State Rev. Dr. Atekha Odemwingie said Edo State is the first in Southern Nigeria to commission such unit in the PCRC formation nationwide.

She revealed that the purpose was to fulfill article 5.9 of the constitution which stated that “to actively participate in all Nigeria police programmes that have direct bearing to the community policing and shall render assistance in the overall interest of safety and security of lives and property.

“We promise to display very high sense of responsibility and we will not do anything that will bring reproach to the PCRC or the Nigeria police force”.

The PCRC state boss thanked the CP and other police officers in Edo Police Command for their support.

She, however, expressed gratitude to the Edo State Traffic Officer CSP Joshua Esiolee for taking time to equip the inductees with the basic skills needed for the job of traffic and crowd control.

A total of 30 personnel comprising 24 males and six females drawn from various communities in Benin City were commissioned.

The operations officer of the team Marshal Eric Edo promised to lead his team to work within the confines of the laws as traffic violators would be handed over to the police.

Among those present at the inauguration were Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Edo Command DCP Ayoola Ajala, Deputy Commissioner of police, State Criminal Iilnvestigation Department, SCID, DCP Hamed Yusuf Usman and the PCRC national chairman Alhaji Faruk Abdulahi represented by the the national provost marshal Rev. Dr. Martins Evbuomwan.