NEWLY appointed Delta State Commissioner of Police (CP), Ikechukwu Aduba, yesterday told officers and men of the Warri Command to rise up and tackle kidnapping and robberies, which have cast a shadow on the competence of the police in the state.

The police chief also ordered the officers back to the road as criminals were allegedly capitalising on the ‘no-road-block’ order to wreck havoc on the populace.

He defended the decision, saying that the constitution empowered the police to stop and search vehicles in order to maintain security, adding that the Inspector General of Police approved of stop and search operations.

The Guardian gathered that armed robbers on daily basis block the Amukpe axis of the Warri-Benin expressway, forcing motorists to stop at gun-point while those who failed to stop had their vehicles sprayed with bullets.

Aduba who was on operational tour of the Warri area, stressed that the police must develop effective ways to check kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in the state in these challenging times.

He was particularly miffed that the police intelligence department was not effective enough to nip some of the crimes on the bud. He said kidnappers were moving up and down without being tracked down.

The police chief queried: “Where are the intelligence officers. It will no longer be business as usual. In this dispensation rules must be obeyed.

Aduba said he had swung into action since assuming office as several kidnappers were trailed to their hideout in Oghara and Asaba areas and arrested. He said a few days ago four kidnappers were arrested during a raid on their hideout and that weapons and charms were confiscated.

On lack of operational vehicles, the new police boss said he was discussing with the state government and police headquarters and that the problem would be addressed in due course.

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