Ekpo Okemini, Umuahia
The Abia State Command of the Nigerian Police has arrested 267 suspected criminals just as it rescued 15 kidnap victims within the past eight months, according to the Commissioner, Leye Oyebade.
He said the state government has introduced a reward of N1 million rewards for whistle-blowers who assist the police in detecting corruption and fraud in the state.
Oyebade said the command was working with a committee of Fulani herdsmen and farmers with local government council chairmen to avert a clash between both groups in the state.
Oyebade stated this while briefing newsmen in his office before parading 12 suspected criminal at the Command’s headquarters along Bende Road in the state capital, Umuahia.
A break-down of the suspects are, 132 armed robbery, seven burglars, 29 child traffickers, 26 kidnappers, 18 car snatchers, two murderres, four rapists, 24 cultists, 15 vandals, and eight fraudster.
Stating that crime and criminality are like a whirl-wind which blows no one any good, he added that within the period, the command recovered 32 arms, 188 ammunitions, 40 vehicles, and 15 motorcycles/tricycles.
The police boss said as part of the command’s effort at combating crime, it had, with the support of the state government created a Tactical Response Squad, to compliments the efforts of other squads.
He said security had been generally and globally perceived as a collected responsibility, which infers that no man is an Island, and in the security of a state, nation etcetera.
According to him, “it therefore calls for collaborative efforts of security agencies of the state, neighborhood watch, vigilance groups, youths and indeed, the people in various ways.”
Oyebade, who maintained that the command was poised at sustaining the peace in the state, added that it was working assiduously to ensure the people sleep with their both eyes closed.
Among the paraded suspects was Daniel Emeka, 51, suspected of luring under-aged boys to hotels and sleeping with them.
