From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Kano State Security Council has declared phone-snatching as an act of armed robbery, insisting that any individual or group caught in the act will be treated as an armed robbery suspect.
The Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Kano.
At its valedictory session which was presided over by the out-going governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Council resolved to take drastic policy measures against the crime in the light of the fact that phone snatching has lately assumed a worrisome proportion in the state.
Garba also stated that the Council agreed to put in place a special squad within the security system to deal with the menace of phone snatching and other acts of criminality in the state.
The Commissioner added that the Council, which deliberated on the arrangements for the swearing-in of the new governor, said that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure peaceful ceremonies.
It warned miscreants who might use the occasion to cause violence in the name of celebrations to refrain from engaging in such an act.
“Destruction of properties belonging to the public, individual or the opposition will not be tolerated as adequate measures have been taken to deal with such an act decisively,” the statement added.
Ganduje, he stated, used the occasion of the Council meeting to reiterate the need for a smooth transition of power and a peaceful ceremony in the state.
He thanked the security agencies in the state for all the cooperation extended to him throughout his tenure and urged them to maintain the tempo.
The Security Council meeting was attended by virtually all the heads of the security agencies and other members of the Council.