Reporters365 | January 22, 2013


Youths in Imo on Monday protested the high rate of kidnappings, ritual killings and other crimes in the state.
They carried placards with inscriptions: “Youths say no to further killings of our people,” “Our state is turning into a killing field,” and “we demand a stop to this madness.”
The demonstrators estimated to be up to 700, blocked roads in Owerri as they marched to the Government House.
The leader of the group, Mr Emeka Ohasiri, said the march was to decry the high rate of kidnappings and killings in the state.
He said their aim was to bring the situation to the notice of the police in the state, saying they could no longer keep quiet while the state was being ravaged by insecurity.
“We have all become victims in this state with the collapse of security and we want to be reassured that those responsible for these crimes will be brought to book,’’ Ohasiri said.
The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr Vitalis Onugu, said the insinuation that the police had not done anything to curb criminal activities was unfair, considering the efforts of the command to reduce crime to the barest minimum.
“It is malicious to say that we have not done anything; has any one of them volunteered any credible information to the police which was not followed up.”