Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has threatened to withhold the salary of any traditional ruler in whose community kidnappers are apprehended. He directed the monarchs to assume full responsibility of the security arrangement in their Community Government Council (aka fourth tier government) in their respective domains to enable them to assist the government flush out all criminals in the state.

The governor who gave the directive while launching the “Imo Security Network and Emergency Services” in Owerri promised to dish out an undisclosed ransom to any individual who supplies useful information to security agencies on the hideout of kidnappers and den of robbers in the state. Kidnapping does not occur in the moon but in our midst and it is a crime against God and humanity and henceforth anybody found guilty of it will be dealt with according to the law,” he warned.

He explained that the New State Security Network launched, was not meant to witch hunt anybody, but a strategy to complement the efforts of security agencies in crime control and prevention. The government therefore challenged staff of the security out-fit to swing into action immediately and to comb all bushes, forests and uncompleted buildings in all nooks and crannies of the state to fish out criminals still hibernating in the state, promising to equip them properly for the task ahead