From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba Usman has charged officers of the Delta State command to deal decisively with any member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Mr. Usman handed down the charge on Monday in Asaba while on a one-day working visit to the command.
Reacting to challenges raised by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ari Muhammed Ali during a welcome address, Usman said the proximity of Asaba to Anambra would make it susceptible to aggressions from the eastern part of the country.
The IGP was however silent on the challenge of incessant farmers/herders clashes in the state.
He said: “It is expected that whatever affect Anambra State may likely affect, especially Asaba. It is just the bridge that is separating the towns.
“There are always spill over of agitations and demonstrations from Onitsha to Asaba.
“That is why you need to get prepared to deal with any crime or criminality to ensure that those trouble makers are brought to book.
“You (officers) need to brace up to the IPOB challenge because it is a proscribed organisation, and treat them as such.”
Commending officers and men of the command for their successes, Usman who was Commissioner of Police in the state between 2014 and 2016, urged them to improve on their crime fighting efforts.
He noted that the state government, local governments, corporate entities and individuals have supported the command enormously with provision of logistics, insisting that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Earlier, CP Ali reeled out the successes of the command since he took over in 2020.
Ali told IG Usman that 253 assorted arms and 8,756 ammunition were recovered.
According to him, 217 robbery suspects, 194 kidnap suspects, 912 suspected cultists and 94 murder suspects were arrested during the period.
Ali said the highlighted the challenges of the command as difficult vegetation and swampy environment, acute shortage of manpower, and shortage of arms and patrol vehicles among others.
Despite the challenges, however, Mr. Ali said operatives of the command have taken the war against crime to criminal hideouts by constant surveillance, stop and search approach as well as raiding of criminal dens.
