By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Edito
The Imo State Police Command has reassured the people of its readiness to ensure peace, orderliness, protection of lives and property and level -playing field for all political parties and their respective candidates.

The assurance is coming on the heels of the recent remarkable successes recorded in the area of crime fighting and control.  The  command has not left anybody in doubt as to her readiness to ensure that hoodlums and other criminal elements who may constitute a threat to peace in the State are flushed out.

Ibrahim Maishanu

Only recently,  the command arrested a fake journalist who identified himself as Obinna Micheal Chukwuemeka, on Concord/Akanchawa road with a bag containing four thousand and fifty four voter registration cards and some lamination papers. Investigation was concluded and the suspect has been charged to court.

On January 23, 2011, the command smashed a dare-devil gang of kidnappers which had in the past terrorized Ngor-Okpala and Mbaise axis and recovered from them arms and equally rescued their victims.

The police Command raided a criminal hideout at Nwangele LGA where unimaginable quantity of sophisticated arms and ammunition were recovered and equally arrested four suspects who are now helping the command in its investigations.

A few days after, three kidnappers who stormed Emekuku, the country home of Minister of interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho with the intention of kidnapping his elder brother, were killed by men of the Police Command.

On February 9, 2011 security operatives of the Command demolished the family house of Nwanna in Dim-na-nume, Isu Autonomous Community in Nwangele LGA for allowing kidnappers use their house as a hostage camp for kidnapped victims.

Beside, the state police command intercepted a Toyota Camry Car with registration number VX 293 ABC driven by one Chidi Benjamin from Eheocha LGA in Rivers State and recovered five AK47 rifles, two military assault rifles, one hundred and thirty eight AK 47 Magazine fully loaded with thirty rounds of live ammunition each and a total of four thousand one hundred and forty rounds of live ammunition.

The Command has in addition, announced a cash reward of at least, one million naira to anybody who volunteers credible information that would lead to the arrest of notorious kidnappers and armed robbers or for substantial recovery of arms and ammunition in the state.

On election security, The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Maishanu has constituted the State Interagency Consultative Committee on election security made up of the Heads of all the Security Agencies in the State and INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner. The Committee is now working out modalities to ensure adequate security during campaigns and elections through collaborative efforts.

Similarly, the Commissioner of Police has also met with the State leadership of all the Political parties and their candidates in the State where he made it clear to them that the Command would arrest any person or group of persons who go contrary to the provisions of both the electoral and Public Order Act.

In the same vein, CP. Ibrahim Maishanu, while addressing members of the State vigilante sounded it loud to them that the Command would arrest and prosecute any of them seen with arms around polling booths in the State.

The Commissioner has equally warned parents and guardians not to allow their Children to be used as political thugs or engage in any electoral malpractices as he has made it clear that political thugs would be arrested and treated as armed robbers.   He therefore advised Politicians  to eschew politics of bitterness and rancor.