KWARA State Police Commissioner Chiwinke Asadu has justified the abolition of police checkpoints on the nation’s high ways.

Asadu said the recent police statistics on crime in Nigeria have shown that ‘the stop and search’ method currently in vogue by the security agency has proved to be a more effective way of policing in the country.

For him, however, the work of security of persons and property should not be an exclusive duty of the Police as the entire citizens should be alert to secure the nation and its people.

Speaking in Ilorin yesterday while parading some robbery suspects before journalists, Asadu said, “the successes we have recorded through patrolling are more than those recorded in the days of road blocks.

“The order that we should not mount road blocks does not mean that we should not do our duties. The directive is to stop blocking the major high ways. There must be free flow of traffic. That is why the ‘Stop and Search’ methods have been encouraged.”

The Police boss, while parading a suspect, Abdullahi Umar, said the suspect was among a gang of four robbery suspects recently intercepted by the police along Ilorin/Ogbomoso expressway.

The suspects, traveling inside a Golf car marked, Abuja BB 665 BWR were allegedly driving against the traffic on February 2 this year. While the three others had escaped with bullets wounds, Umar was not all that lucky, as he was rounded up by the police.

Items recovered from the vehicle abandoned by the gang include two pump action guns with six rounds of live cartridges and two fully loaded AK 47 riffles.

“The arrested suspect and three others at large are strongly suspected to belong to a robbery gang terrorising the highways,” Asadu added.

Another gang of suspects, Abdullahi Muhammadu and Abubakar were allegedly apprehended at Massama Fulani camp Aderan treating gun shot wounds locally.

Two others were said to still be at large in connection with the arrest. The gang was believed to be responsible for series of robbery attacks on unsuspecting passengers along Boode Saadu Road, Moro Local Government Area of the state.

The high point of the parade session was the confession by two middle-aged men, Olaitan Gobir and Dekunle Toyin, alleged to be responsible for the theft of motorcycles at Adewole area of Ilorin. They alleged that the regular receivers of the goods lived in a town adjoining Ilorin.

Asadu said all the suspects would soon be charged to court.