Nation
Yuletide: Abia assures of adequate security
The Abia State government has stated its resolve to continue to give adequate protections to lives and properties in the state, in spite of the instances of insecurity reported from parts of the state recently, which resulted in the death of three soldiers, police men and villagers abandoning their homes.
To this end, the Nigerian Army has launched an exercise code-named “Operation UDOKA”, which is designed to identify the hideouts and flashpoints of criminals and their activities in Abia state.
The sole aim of the exercise is to reduce instances of kidnappings, activities of unknown gunmen and other sorts of criminalities; “so that Abians and residents of the state can have peace and sleep with their two eyes”.
The Abia state Commissioner for information, Prince Okey Kanu, who announced this during an interactive session with newsmen in Government House, Umuahia, said that the new security measures were taken after an emergency meeting with stakeholders in security matters, last Saturday(23/11/2024) as part of Government’s efforts to rejig her security apparatus.
He disclosed the measures further include the introduction of a specially designed telephone system, called “Tripod phone lines”, which serves as distress call alert for rapid response by soldiers anywhere in Abia state.
The Information boss, however, appealed to Abians, residents and visitors to the state to co-operate with the security agencies by obeying instructions and providing necessary pieces of information that would be needed to the arrest of those criminals, kidnappers and unknown gunmen and others who have been making lives unbearable in the various towns and rural communities.
Adding his voice, the Security adviser to the governor, Macdonald Uba, said that security agencies are on their toes to make sure there is peace and security in Abia for people to enjoy the Yuletide as well as enjoy the state.
On the humiliation of commuters and discriminatory behaviours of soldiers towards people and vehicles at checkpoints, Commander Uba condemned such in humane treatments, saying that reported cases will be investigated upon and the culprits dealt with accordingly.
“At our recent security meeting, we emphasized need to strengthen confidence-building and winning the confidence of people. On the current harassments noticed at the Onuimo bridge market, Uba attributed such to the fact that the suspected criminal –gang that struck at Ekenobizi community in Abia state, were feared to have come from that end. Government has started providing concrete barriers at appropriate checkpoints for clearer operations. We now have close relationship with security formations in bordering states in handling issues relating to security and crime-related matters”.
In response to the free Medical outreach exercise which held at Abiriba in Ohafia Local Government Area, where some beneficiaries are reported to be critically lying sick in hospitals since after the outreach treatments, the Information Commissioner said the medical outreach was not authorized by Abia state government and warned people against patronizing quarks.
He admitted, however, that the attention of the state government has been drawn to the incident and that the state Ministry of Health was investigating the matter.
Kanu used the forum to announce the commissioning of the renovated and retrofitted Old state secretariat building, erected in 1993 by Maj-Gen Ibrahim Babangida (RTD), but abandoned by previous regimes in Abia state, as well as commissioned the Dozie-Way road.
He hinted that from now to the end of December, this year, Governor Alex Otti would be embarking on multiple flagging-off of a number of Roads in the state, including the Onuimo bridge/ Abia Tower on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Express-Way as well as other rural and urban roads.
