The inspector general of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba Usman, on Monday, charged officers of the Delta State command to brace up for what he described as ‘IPOB Challenge’ and deal decisively with any member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the state.
Usman handed down the charge in Asaba during his one-day working visit to the command.
Usman was responding to issues of challenges confronting the command, as raised by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ari Muhammed Ali during the visit.
He said that the proximity of Asaba to Anambra would make it susceptible to aggressions from the eastern part of the country.
The IGP was however silent on the challenge of incessant farmers/herders clashes in the state as also raised by the CP.
He said: “It is expected that whatever affects Anambra State may likely effect, especially Asaba. It is just the bridge that is separating the towns.
“There is always spillover of agitations and demonstrations from Onitsha to Asaba.
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“That is why you need to get prepared to deal with any crime or criminality to ensure that those trouble makers are brought to book.
“You (officers) need to brace up to the IPOB challenge because it is a proscribed organisation, and treat them as such.”
Commanding officers and men of the command for their successes, Usman who was Commissioner of Police in the state between 2014 and 2016, urged them to improve on their crime-fighting efforts.
He noted that the state government, local governments, corporate entities and individuals have supported the command enormously with the provision of logistics, insisting that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Earlier, CP Ali had highlighted the successes of the command since he took over in 2020.
Ali told IG Usman that 253 assorted arms and 8,756 ammunition were recovered.
According to him, 217 robbery suspects, 194 kidnap suspects, 912 suspected cultists and 94 murder suspects were arrested during the period.
Ali also listed other challenges of the command including difficult vegetation and swampy environment, acute shortage of manpower, and shortage of arms and patrol vehicles among others.
He noted that despite the challenges, the operatives of the command have taken the war against crime to criminal hideouts by constant surveillance, stop and search approach as well as raiding of criminal dens.
