By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI — Imo State Police Command has banned the bearing of firearms by vigilante groups and the Imo Security Network established and commissioned by Chief Rochas Okorocha soon after assuming office.

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 their use of firearms, the CP also accused the security outfits of engaging in acts not in consonance with their briefs.
“The armed groups have been terrorizing innocent members of the society and have become law not themselves. They have reportedly been running illegal detention cells across the state, as well as being involved in extortion and several other unlawful acts,” Mr. Ali said.

The Imo police boss noted that “if the activities of 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.”