Astute businessman and a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has described the death on Wednesday of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of “B” Department, John Haruna, as a major loss to the country.
Kalu, in a statement on Thursday, said Haruna was a fine officer and a gentleman whose contributions to the growth of the country would be sorely missed.
He called on the government to probe the cause of the crash of the police helicopter in which he was on surveillance duty in Jos, Plateau State, alongside Assistant Commissioner of Police, Garba Yalwa, who was the pilot; Chief Superintendent of Police Alexander Pwol-Ja, the co-pilot; and Haruna’s orderly, Sergeant Sonatian Shirunam.
Kalu said: “DIG Haruna’s dedication to duty is legendary and his love for the country is exemplary.
“How many officers of his rank are involved in operations at the level at which he has been since he joined the Force?
“He is a man who leads by example and he showed that until he died.”
Kalu urged the government to establish the actual cause of the crash that led to Haruna’s death.
He said this would help to prevent such an occurrence in the future, adding: “There is a need to establish if the crash was purely a human error or that the helicopter developed any fault.
“There has been agitation over the years for a better funding of the police and provision of sophisticated equipment.
“So is it possible that the helicopters in the fleet of the police need to be replaced or better maintained?
“We don’t need to lose more people before we take another look at the facilities for the police and our security agents in general.
“This is the only way to ensure that the nation’s security is not further compromised.”
Kalu commiserated with the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Dikko Abubakar; Haruna’s family; and Nigerians in general over the death of Haruna and the other officers and man of the Nigeria Police in the crash.
He prayed to God to grant the souls of the departed eternal rest and their families the fortitude to bear the loss.