By Enyim Enyim

ONITSHA—About 126 armed robbers including kidnappers have been arrested in Anambra state between January and June this year, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Musa Bello has said.

The Police Commissioner said the suspects were arrested in various parts  of the state. He explained that outside the 126 suspects, 42 died during a gun battle with the police in various operations.

According to him, so far, 41 have been prosecuted while 54 are currently in police custody and are already giving useful information to unravel more crime in the state

He however, regretted that eight officers of the force fell to the bullets of the hoodlums during  shoot-out with the Police.

On kidnapping, Bello said 26 kidnappers have been apprehended, while two fell to the superior fire power of the police, adding that about nine of them are currently in police custody.

Reiterating the readiness of police to check the activities of hoodlums in the state, he said that some nipping points have been created in the state, adding that the command had beefed up its intelligence network to smoke out the criminals from their hideouts.

He noted that the sudden surge in crime in the state was connected to the ongoing attack against militants in Niger Delta.

The Commissioner said that the Inspector General of Police had approved the establishment of additional squadron (squadron 54) in Onitsha to beef up security in the state.

He said the command requires urgently about 20 bullet proof Hilux jeeps to increase patrol in the 21 local councils of the state.

Bello, however, charged stakeholders in the state to come to the aid of the police as the responsibility will be too tedious to rest on the shoulders of government alone.

He assured that the security situation in Anambra has not gone beyond the control of the police, stressing that more strategies are being put in place to bring the sudden surge to order.

He charged parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children and wards, as police will not hesitate to decisively deal with anybody caught trying to breach peace in the state.