Vendors Arrested With Primary Evidence — Imo CP

The Imo state Commissioner of Police yesterday said that the newspaper vendors arrested and later released by the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, were primary evidence on the matter being investigated by the IRT team.

The Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, made this statement in Owerri when he received newsmen at his office, led by the Chairman of Imo state Correspondent chapel, Chris Njoku when the union took the matter of arrests of Newspaper vendors to his office.

The CP, said that the arrest was to add to the profiling and analysis on the matter regarding some publications relating to insecurity in the state.

He told the journalists, “That you are able to muster the issues at stake and presenting them to me is most satisfying. I thank you for that.

“In the course of my finding, I got to know that IRT operatives said they have been working on a subject matter before now on some publications and on some issues that require further profiling and analysis.

“And in tracking that assignment, the point of concentration revolves around that particular spot and those persons were of primary evidence to them. And that they are profiling the persons with respect to what they are doing.

“Honestly, I didn’t link it up to any other general issue that will undermine the convenience of the journalistic public. My understanding of it was that particular individuals need to be profiled even though the persons happened to be vendors.

“And certainly in that kind of situation, I needed to wait while they do their work. If the understanding was something larger that can affect the welfare or comfort of members of your organization, I would have taken a proactive personal stand following up the case.”

“However, with media stakeholders coming here today, it has provided a better forum for me to be more proactive in following up leads so that issues will not be misunderstood out of context.”

“And I believe that as it stands, I want to assure you that your concerns will be fully addressed and that we will do the needful to ensure that the situation is handled in a most discernable manner. I can assure you of that.” Yaro concluded.