By Ugochukwu Alaribe, Aba

ABIA State Commissioner of Police, Habila Joshak, said, yesterday, that armed robbers and child traffickers have relocated from the state as the police have made their businesses, unprofitable.

Joshak, who stated this in a chat with members of the Aba Federated Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, who called on him, at his office, noted that the Police in collaboration with other security agencies in the state have reduced crime.

He said,“If we look at the crime situation in the state, you can see that the police in collaboration with other security agencies have run robbers, kidnappers and child traffickers out of business. It is not yet time to clap hands, but I think we have done well. I want to tell you that with our strategies, it now takes some weeks to hear about kidnapping, robbery and car snatching incidents in the state.

“For many months now, we no longer hear about baby factories and child trafficking which was thriving in the state in the past. The operators gather pregnant girls and pay them off with N20, 000 when they are delivered of their babies to sell them between N500, 000 and N250, 000. Such pregnant girls would never see their babies again; we have run them out of business. We have arrested the kingpins at Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa and Isiala Ngwa areas.”

On kidnapping, Joshak lamented the failure of some families of victims to report to the security agencies.

According to him, “When people are kidnapped and demands for ransom are made; people usually say, don’t tell the police, soldiers and other security agencies. They are made to believe that if they inform the security agencies, they may not see their kidnapped relations alive, but this is not true. ”

This created fear and people are not too willing to share such information with the security agencies.

“In this era, we have adopted visibility policing. The security agencies are fully aware of areas more prone to kidnapping and other violent crimes. In such areas, policemen are on 24 hours patrol collaborating with other security agencies. We have been able to deploy sufficient patrol vehicles to these areas and even interior communities. It is becoming difficult for criminals to kidnap, rob or commit other crimes and run away through the road. In one or two isolated incidents, they only kidnapped and ran into the forest and keep their victims. Even in the forest, they keep running from one point to another and would do everything not to attract attention.”

The CP further disclosed that through community policing, the police working with the traditional rulers and residents have been able to nip crime in the bud.

He commended the state government for its support to the security agencies and urged residents not to hesitate to volunteer useful information about criminal activities to the police.