The Imo State Police Command has reaffirmed its commitment to improving security across Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Owerri West local government areas by strengthening collaboration with traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders.
The renewed commitment was made during a high-level security stakeholders’ meeting held at Gold Crown Hotels on Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, where participants examined emerging security threats and mapped out strategies to sustain peace across the affected communities.
Representing the Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, the Area Commander of Ohaji/Egbema Area Command, ACP Emeka Ezeibe, said the Command would continue to prioritize intelligence-led policing, proactive crime prevention and stronger community partnerships. He urged residents to provide timely and credible information to security agencies, stressing that criminality should never be associated with any ethnic or religious group.
The meeting brought together traditional rulers, Presidents-General, religious leaders, youth and women representatives, vigilante commanders, members of the Hausa/Fulani community, divisional police officers from Ohaji, Egbema, Agwa and Oguta divisions, as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Northern Affairs, Hon. Suleiman Ibrahim.
Participants commended the improved security situation in Imo State but noted that kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts, destruction of farmlands by grazing cattle and threats to farmers remain major concerns affecting livelihoods and agricultural production. They also applauded Governor Hope Uzodimma for strengthening grassroots security through community-based vigilante initiatives.
At the end of the meeting, stakeholders agreed that herders should avoid grazing on cultivated farmlands and recommended the registration and profiling of herders operating within affected communities. They also called for closer cooperation with security agencies to tackle kidnapping, violent clashes and other forms of criminality.
ACP Ezeibe assured participants that the Police Command would sustain strategic engagements with communities to address security challenges. He also announced the formation of a committee made up of representatives from communities in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area to address issues relating to herders, kidnapping and peaceful coexistence.
Speaking on behalf of the Hausa/Fulani community, Hon. Suleiman Ibrahim pledged continued support for peaceful coexistence, assuring stakeholders that law-abiding herders would neither harbour nor protect criminal elements. The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment by all parties to support the Police Command’s “See Something, Say Something” campaign to improve security across Imo State.
