Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has charged the police to check rising kidnapping and violent crime rate in the country, saying they have become the police’s great challenge.

Okowa made the call on Wednesday when the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5, Mr Alkali Usman, visited him at the Government House, Asaba.

He said: “There is no doubt that Delta is relatively peaceful, but kidnapping has become a national issue and it is very unfortunate.

“Most of the kidnappings take place in the highways and that is a cause for worry because road users face a lot of attacks daily.

“It is getting scary and soon we will not be able to travel without seeking some form of help from the security agencies.

“I know that the police do not have enough manpower to provide protection for all travellers.”

The governor expressed concern over the recent kidnap of some Catholic priests in the state but said that he was in touch with Commissioner of Police in the state, and that a lot was being done.

He underscored the need for greater synergy between Delta and neighbouring Edo, Bayelsa and Anambra commands of the police in the efforts to finding lasting solution to kidnapping.

According to him, we need to gather a lot of intelligence because I strongly believe that these criminals are mobile and move from one location to another.

Okowa congratulated Usman on his appointment as AIG and hoped that he would deploy his wealth of experience and knowledge of the area to achieve success in crime control in the zone.

He admonished the police to be proactive in crime control in view of imminent 2019 general elections.

He also advised politicians to play by the rule and shun acts that could overheat the polity.

Earlier, Usman, who said that he was on a familiarisation tour of police formations in the zone, thanked the governor “for contributing to the success story of the police in crime control.”