Kwara Escalating Crime: Gov Ahmed summons CP, expresses displeasure

*Police boss reads riot act to OC SARS Following increased crime rate in Ilorin in recent time, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Garba Saliu, has reportedly read the riot act to the Officer- in-Charge of the state's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Tunde Mohammed, to buckle up.

The commissioner, it was gathered, was infuriated by the alarming crime rate coupled with the new method employed by the robbers to operate in the state. The robbers, according to investigation by National Pilot, in this month (June), snatched no fewer than 30 cars around Al-Hikimah University axis and also robbed some female students of the institution. It was further gathered that the robbers also stripped naked their female victims after carting away thier valuables. The state's Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, was said to be worried about the development and reportedly summoned the Police Commissioner and registered his displeasure about the crime rate in the state. The governor at the meeting reportedly alerted the CP to the alarming rate of crime in the state and gave him a marching order to urgently nip the menace in the bud. The CP in return, according to the source, summoned the OC SARS to his office for four times last week and read the riot act to him on the need to address the situation. The source said: '' The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Garba Salihu, is not happy with the increased rate of crime in the state and had read the riot act to the OC SARS, Tunde Mohammed, to buckle up effort to curb crime in the state. 'Only this month (June), a total of 30 cars were snatched around Al-Hilkmah University axis and the suspected robbers have also adopted new syestem of robbery by stripping thier female victims naked. This did not go down well with our CP who is committed to a crime-free society. ''The CP upon the invation of the governor, called the OC SARS to his office for about four times last week and read the riot act to him. The CP also threatened to relieve him of the office should the current crime rate in the state remains unabated. ''The CP's reaction followed a meeting he had with the governor and he returned he summoned the OC SARS to his office and gave him a marching other and failure to step up effort to reduce crime rate, he will be removed from the office. When contacted yesterday, the state's Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ajayi Okansanmi, however denied the increased rate of crime in the state, rather he said that the command had stepped up effort to curb crime in the state. He said the command recovered nine stolen vehicles in the state in one month, adding that the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, on Tuesday gave it 10 patrol vehicles for highway patrol. " Kwara Police is lucky to have been given 10 highway patrol vans out of the 138 that have been supplied by the police headquarters to each command to discharge our duties properly", he said. He, however, identified Maraba, Mandate and Post Office areas of Ilorin metropolis as dark spots and pledged the command's commitment to rid the state of crime and criminals.