He said the exit points of the city would be given attention to prevent robbers and kidnappers from striking.

Yaro called on the people of the state to bear with the police, saying  motorists and other road users might experience some discomfort during the  “stop and search” order.

He said, “Our checkpoints within the metropolis are going to increase now and they are going to be 24-hour thing. At least in every division now, we will ensure that we have at least five checkpoints.

“It is our conviction that when we restrict the movement of people within the city, the prospect of  criminals escaping will be reduced and when they calculate the risks involved and their inability to escape, they will always give it a second thought before they strike.”

On the recent upsurge in cases of mob action against suspected criminals, Yaro said the police would not allow anyone to take laws into their own hands.

He maintained that mob action remained a criminal act in the country, stressing that anybody caught indulging in it would be prosecuted.

He said, “The problem we have is that the police do not subscribe to mob action and the police do

not permit persons to take laws into their own hands.

“The press should help us educate the citizenry that as soon as anybody is caught as a suspected or a robber, they should bring the person to thelaw.

“The law is represented by the police and the judiciary. So we do not subscribe to mob action and we condemn it in its entirety. Mob action or lynching of suspects in itself is a criminal act and whoever is caught doing that will be severely dealt with as defined by the law.”