Abia Police Command will put a check on the proliferation of unregistered security outfits in the state.

Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade made the promise on Wednesday in Umuahia while briefing newsmen on efforts being made by the command to reduce crime in the state.

Oyebade said the operations of unregistered security outfits constituted breach of the law, urging the people behind such outfits to disband them or they would be made to face the full weight of the law.

He said setting up parallel security organisations when there were existing ones like the Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, civil defence, among others, was criminal.

Oyebade said the command was against such organisations and was ready to deal decisively with them, citing the unlawful activities of an organisation, known as “BBS” in the state, allegedly trending in the social media.

In another development, Oyebade said the command had busted two different suspected kidnap syndicates in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the state.

He said his men arrested one Samuel Akoma from Umuako-Obohia Ibere in Ikwuano council area and Kenneth Ananaba from Ugwunagbo, saying the two men were arrested in a hotel in Aba in connection with the kidnap of one Kelvin Wogu.

Oyebade said the suspected kidnappers abducted Wogu while he was driving his Toyota Highlander SUV jeep on Omenazu Street, Aba, saying the suspects had confessed to the crime and that they collected N3 million ransom from the victim before he was released.

He said the confession by the suspects led to the arrest of another member of the syndicate, Goodluck Sunday in his Umuobi Ukpakiri Village in Obingwa council area, giving a list of the items recovered from the gang to include a Mitsubishi SUV with Reg. No. Abia: UMA 103 SW and the stolen Toyota Highlander.

Oyebade also announced the arrest of an armed robbery suspect, one Obioma Onwuchekwa of Umuozuo Village in Osisioma council area of the state, saying the suspect, who had been on the police wanted list since April after a robbery operation in Aba, was caught in Calabar.

According to him, the suspect was arrested at the Calabar office of the Federal Road Safety Commission, while attempting to re-register a Toyota Highlander SUV jeep, with an initial registration number.

Oyebade said further investigation showed that the vehicle was snatched from its owner, one Jeff Omadewu, in Aba.