The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Mr Chris Ezike, has called for amendment of the Cultism Law in the state and advocated for heavier punishment against cultism.
Ezike made the call in Owerri on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Acho Ihim.
He said cultism was rampant in the state because the punishment against the crime was mild.
“Cultism is the driving force of all criminality in the country.
“A preliminary investigation showed that over 70 per cent of cultists in the state are students of tertiary institutions,” he said.
The police boss, however, stressed the need to revisit the law so that cultism could be made a capital offence.
“We have a major challenge in prosecuting cultists, because each time we take them to court, they are released because of the weak punishment and the next day they are out on the streets.
“This situation has become a major setback in the fight against cultism and it makes police look as if they are recycling suspects,” he said.
Ezike said he would lead an advocacy tour to tertiary institutions to initiate a platform for denunciation of cultism by members.
He said he would use a Carrot-and-Stick approach for those who want to denounce and those who still want to remain in the game.
He said police cannot fight crime without the support and partnership of the lawmakers.
“Lawmakers are critical stakeholders in the area of crime fighting and the essence of my visit is to seek for a robust collaboration and partnership with the lawmakers.
“Security is about the people and the lawmakers are representing people; so I believe that they can help us make our job easier by relating our massage to the grassroots”, he said.
He said one of the greatest challenges of police in Imo was manpower, but promised to setup a police outpost at the Imo House of Assembly complex to beef up security in the area.
The Speaker of the assembly, Mr Acho Ihim, assured the commissioner of a possible amendment of the cultism law to make the punishment harsh on culprits.
“We shall go back to the drawing board because the existing law against cultism is like a no punishment.
“Cultists have overtime, taken advantage of this and we are prepared to make the necessary amendment to help police to do their job,” Ihim said.
He also assured the police commissioner of a healthy partnership and commended Gov. Rochas Okorocha for complementing police efforts in fighting crime by establishing other security outfits in the state. (NAN)
IWE/MNA/AMY
