The Imo State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Musa Katsina has stated that he relies more on brainwork, than roadblocks to curb crime in the state.
The police commissioner who spoke with journalists recently in his office at the Command headquarters, Owerri, the state capital said that in less than a year since he assumed duty in the state, he has been able to dislodge highly organised criminal gangs that operated from within and outside the country.
He said that the training and empowerment which his men enjoy now made it easy for the kidnappers to be caught without roadblocks. "They cannot escape because training of police is just outside their tricks.
He said "Forget about roadblock, I don't mount roadblock, police job is a brainwork." Katsina also stated that what he's now confronted with is the chilling involvement of teenagers who now master mind the kidnapping of their relations.
The stated police boss lamented what he described as an international dimension in kidnapping, adding, that the deadliest group in the act of kidnapping are those who operate from Malaysia and China.
He said that the nature of kidnapping in the country is in three folds; the international kidnappers, inter-states and neighbourhood criminals. "We have been able to deal decisively with those coming from abroad, especially those from China and Malaysia.
These gangs are very deadly. You're aware of the Alaribe gang, one-armed General gang and the Ogbaje gang, these gangs are international kidnappers", Katsina said. According to him, "We have been able to dislodge the inter-state kidnappers immediately I assumed duty in the state.
As I did tell you, there is no way you can have respite if for example the neighbouring state is on fire. That's why we need to be very careful because when they finish with that, they may move into your state.
So we moved fast because I have trained fast moving squad. So I did not waste time in dislodging the criminals immediately I entered the state." He disclosed that most of the criminals he had paraded were not from Imo State, "they are all transit criminals.
But the good thing is that they find it difficult to operate here, I have built a cobweb around that anybody coming into the state would have himself entangled, it will be very difficult for him to escape." The police boss further disclosed that the kidnappers operated in three structures such as the hunters, couriers and the landlords.
"After all, the Alaribe gang were trying to attack one of the prominent citizens in Imo State I was just new in the state; we lured their gang member all the way from Malaysia not through Interpol but words of mouth, he came to collect bait.
We arrested him at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, he stated. In spite of the feat, the police commissioner is currently facing herculean task tackling the emergence of teenage kidnappers in the state.