Imo State police command bans vigilante from bearing arms

The Imo State Police Command has banned vigilante groups and the Imo Security Network from bearing firearms.Governor Rochas Okorocha established the security network shortly after taking charge of state affairs.Similarly, the police warned that any person or group of persons found to be in possession of firearms at the expiration of the two weeks deadline would be ruthlessly dealt with.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulmajid Ali, read the riot act in Owerri, when he unveiled the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Command.Apart from banning them from using firearms, the CP also accused the security outfits of “engaging in acts that are not in consonance with their briefs”.He said: “The armed groups have been terrorising innocent members of the society and have become law unto themselves.“They have reportedly been running illegal detention cells across the state, as well as being involved in extortion and several other unlawful acts.“If these desperate contraptions were not disarmed and their activities strictly monitored, it may get to a stage when they will get out of control and become an albatross to the police and society.”Giving an account of his stewardship, the CP said that between March and August this year, the Command recovered about 40 stolen vehicles, arrested 38 armed robbers and car snatchers, rescued 22 kidnap victims and arrested 39 kidnappers.Ali also said 39 stolen children were rescued and handed over to their legitimate parents and 46 child traffickers were arrested