The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, on Saturday said the Nigeria Police would continue to crack down on cultism and other forms of criminality in different states of the country in order to ensure and maintain peace in the Nigerian society.
It will be recalled that the police had in May arrested and arraigned 56 suspects, including 11 persons said to be highly placed, for their alleged involvement in cult-related killings in Edo State, following the deployment of a special crack squad by the IGP.
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However, Arase, who spoke shortly after a ceremony organised in his honour by the Ora-ekpen Development Association, Sabongida Ora, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, explained that though no society could be totally rid of crime, the results from the crack squad had shown that Nigerian state could be made tolerable.
He also noted that the force would continue to dismantle police roadblocks, which he insisted have been “very ineffective,” adding that plans were “on course” for the implementation of police reforms, including human rights issues and intelligence policing.
He said, “I have dealt with it in Edo State; I have dealt with it in Kogi State; I have dealt with it in Ekiti State and I will continue to deal with them (cultists) wherever they rear their heads. But let me just say this, there is no society that is crime-free. But you can make it tolerable; that is exactly what we intend to do.
“The roadblock was not a panacea or crime prevention strategy. It is an avenue that creates social friction between us and the members of the public.”
