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How South-East battles ‘unknown gunmen,’ kidnappers, robbers
•Imo deploys 7,000-man vigilance team •Anambra fights back with Agunaechemba, Udo Ga-Achi Abia sustains move to crush criminals •Enugu strengthens Forest Guards, deploys tech •Ebonyi neighbourhood security in hot chase of criminals
By Okey Sampson (Umuahia); Jude Chinedu (Enugu); Uchenna Inya (Abakaliki); George Onyejiuwa (Owerri), and Obinna Odogwu (Awka)
Just a few years back, the South-East was a hotbed of crime ranging from the activities of the notorious unknown gunmen to armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom, making the states an unsafe place to live.
But under the various state governments, home-grown security networks formed and sponsored by the governments in collaboration with community leaders is bringing the situation under control.
As anger and frustration grow over the federal government’s desire to prolong the establishment of State Police by 60 months and proposed by the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, the states will have to do more to achieve lasting peace.
Imo vigilance operatives battle criminal
On January 10, 2026, Imo State governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma inaugurated the 7,000-man Imo Vigilance Services Organisation. The establishment of the security outfit and its appendages was backed by the Imo State Security Organisation Amendment Law No. 3 of 2025, which the governor described as not only essential for local security but also a proactive measure to protect the state’s developmental gains.
To achieve this, traditional rulers and other community leaders were given the responsibility of nominating able bodied men and women to be trained by the state police command.
Newly trained members of the vigilance services now serve as watchdogs within the communities, equipped with essential skills for intelligence gathering. They are empowered to nip any act of insecurity in the bud.
The Governor maintained that the inauguration serves as a clear signal to investors and visitors that Imo State is focused on maintaining a safe climate for growth and development.
Some community leaders who spoke to Saturday Sun commended the state governor for setting up the local security outfit, saying it has helped in boosting security in their respective communities. They also disclosed that the new organisation is working in synergy with the already existing community based vigilance groups.
Chief Everist Ezihe, President General, Umueze Abazu Ogwa in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, said that his community has benefitted immensely from the state government’s community security initiative as it has helped in checkmating kidnapping, motorcycle snatching and robbery in the community. The government, he said, provides the state sponsored vigilance group with logistics, uniforms, communication equipment, motorcycle, and fire arms.
“To be honest, we have been empowered, security wise. The issue of kidnapping, robbery and motorcycle snatching has reduced. This community initiative by the state government is already helping the communities in tackling crimes in synergy with the police,” he told Saturday Sun.
Similarly, Justice Nwafor, President General of Ihemba bloc in Ogbujioma community Ogbaku in Mbaitoli council, revealed that before the state government’s community security initiative, the entire Ogbaku community was battling insecurity, which necessitated the community to establish an armed vigilance group.
He noted that the state sponsored community security is an added boost as both now are work harmoniously.
“We had already established a vigilance group because of insecurity in my own village and we armed them. This one sponsored by the state government is now a boost. Each of the communities was given a slot for those to be trained for community security by the state government and later deployed back to their villages like Ogbujioma autonomous community which is large,” Nwafor who is also the village chairman of Uzuele village Ogbaku told Saturday Sun.
Nwafor also disclosed that his Ogbujioma autonomous community has 40 members of the vigilance group trained by the state government. Eight persons were drawn from each village.
“Earlier, we had a local arrangement and they are collaborating very well. In fact, the crime rate has come down because any issue they are unable to handle they will call in the police. All the local terrorists who have been harassing innocent persons in the community have fled,” he said.
Equally, Val Nwaimo, President General of Umuhu Community in Ngor Okpala council commended Governor Hope Uzodimma for setting up a homeland security initiative.
The state government, he noted, has provided the homeland security operatives with the necessary equipment with which to effectively carry out their duties of securing the communities against criminal elements. He also disclosed that the 18 persons that were trained by the government have been deployed back to their villages and that they are working in synergy with the existing vigilance groups in the various villages in Umuhu.
“This is what we have been praying for. We have not had a serious security threat in Umuhu, except last year along the Owerri/Abia expressway around the Mortuary which was later demolished by the state government following the allegation of organ harvesting.
“If you recalled the state government had also demolished the hotel owned by one Chief Oparaugo Stanley Uzoma (Morocco) who was accused of kidnapping and organ harvesting. The five villages that makes up Umuhu autonomous community has never recorded any serious security issues, like kidnapping and armed robbery, maybe except pilfering which is usually taken care of by the villages involved,” he said.
Anambra’s Agunaechemba, Udo Ga-Achi in show of force
In January 2025, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State launched Operation Udo Ga-Achi (Operation Peace Shall Reign), a security outfit designed to flush out criminals from the state.
At the launch which took place at the International Convention Centre, Awka, the state capital, Soludo revealed that members of the security team, numbering about 2,000 were drawn from the Nigeria Army, the Police, Navy, Directorate of State Services (DSS), Civil Defence, Special Forces, and the Agunaechemba.
Agunaechemba is the state’s structured security outfit created with the Homeland Security Law 2025 to complement the existing law enforcement agencies in preventing crime. The Homeland Security Law gives a legal framework for the Udo Ga-Achi operations.
To make the operations more effective, the governor announced a reward of up to N5 million for whistleblowers who provide credible information leading to the arrest of kidnappers or armed robbers or the discovery of their hideouts in the state.
Soludo said that the personnel of the security outfit would be equipped with the best-in-class tracking system, a command-and-control system which enhances the use of voice, video and data in security management, deploying Artificial Intelligence-powered surveillance cameras to cover the communities in Anambra, and Walkie-talkies, among other facilities.
“It will also have special task forces on drugs, touting, cultism, and criminal idolatry, and will be active in all parts of the state, with patrols and pin-down stop-and-search operations as necessary,” the governor said.
He added that this will be enhanced with the State Call Centre with the toll-free lines 5111 and 08002200008, and the 112 number for emergency communication from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
He argued that the character and dynamics of criminality in the South-East geopolitical zone and the country at large had evolved and become hydra-headed, and therefore must be responded to with a well thought-out and decisive action that may be both kinetic and non-kinetic.
Each community was encouraged to design and execute its own security programme. On a monthly basis, any community with zero crime gets a reward of N10 million.
The governor said the state government procured 200 patrol vehicles to be deployed across the 21 Local Government Areas in the state to enable the security outfit operate with ease.
Efforts to speak with the governor’s Special Adviser on Community Security, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, on the successes recorded so far by the operatives beyond what is already known did not yield any results, but Williams Nnonyelum, Vice President (South-East), National Youth Council of Nigeria commended the government for setting up the local vigilante group, adding that they have contributed in securing the state.
“The reason I say this is because we have all clamoured for state policing in this country from onset. And this looks like bringing the security close to the people.
“And naturally, there is no criminal or non-state actor anywhere around an environment where he knows very well that the people operating or looking for them are also from that environment and knows the nooks and crannies of that environment,” the youth leader said.
Operation Crush: Abia’s strategy in fighting insecurity
In the twilight of the last administration in Abia State, and at the dawn of the present one, killing by unknown gunmen, Kidnapping, robbery and other violent crimes were rampant in the state.
To curb the rising wave of criminality in the state at the time, Governor Alex Otti, a few months after he assumed office, set up a security outfit codenamed “Operation Crush.”
The security outfit, headed by a soldier, is made up of military, police and Para-military personnel.
At the inauguration of the security outfit in Umuahia, Otti said, “Operation Crush is our strong and coordinated response to the lingering challenge of insecurity in parts of the state, which has made life nightmarish for many.
“Operation Crush is a joint task force with membership drawn from various security formations, including operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Navy.”
Otti was emphatic when he said he launched Operation Crush to counter kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of violent crimes.
He gave them special charge: “Special attention shall be paid to the flashpoints around communities within Umunneochi and Isuikwuato LGAs with a firm determination to identify and clear all criminal hideouts using the superiority of our arms and the operational expertise of the security personnel on this team.”
Otti who was pained that kidnappers and armed robbers had made economic and social activities almost impossible for residents of those communities, declared that the state was no longer going to share one inch of its territory with criminals and their sponsors.
“To be clear, while the security agents have been directed to be hard and unforgiving on the criminals, doing whatever is necessary to restore law and order, especially in the already identified flashpoints, they have also been reminded to guard against any form of exuberances that could result in the harassment of innocent citizens,” the governor declared.
Before the establishment of the operation crush, criminality was the order of the day in Abia.
Unknown gunmen held sway in the state, they carried out their attacks on police stations and military checkpoints unchallenged and in most cases, in broad daylights, killing and maiming their targets.
Outside attacking security posts, a segment of the gunmen attacked individuals and business outfits. Infact, if it was not unknown gunmen killing and maiming security operatives at checkpoints, it was kidnapping for ransom or armed robbery.
Since the establishment of Operation Crush, however, it has to a very reasonable extent, crushed criminals in the state, making Abia relatively one of the most peaceful states in the country.
Apart from the formation of the Operation Crush, the dismantling of some military checkpoints which was a soft target for unknown gunmen has helped in reducing violent crimes in the state.
Emmanuel Kalu, a public servant said since the establishment of the security outfit, the state has been relatively peaceful.
“The establishment of the security outfit by Governor Alex Otti has helped to reduce insecurity drastically in the state,” he said.
“The best thing that has happened to the state in her fight against insecurity is the establishment of Operation Crush.
“The security outfit has made the state peaceful, in fact Abia is now one of the safest states in Nigeria and the security outfit is doing a wonderful job. My advice is that they should not veer off from their core mandate to engage in extortion,” Julius Agu, a trader said.
Enugu strengthens Forest Guards, deploys tech
The Enugu State government has stepped up efforts to combat crime, leading to a noticeable decline in kidnapping, armed robbery and other criminal activities across the state.
Although no central special security outfit was created, the state has revitalised the Forest Guards by equipping it with modern weapons and operational tools. In December 2025, the state government reinforced the unit with assorted arms and upgraded equipment, significantly boosting its capacity to operate in forested areas often used as hideouts by criminal elements.
As part of a broader security strategy, the government also deployed surveillance drones to enhance intelligence gathering and monitor activities across remote locations.
This initiative is complemented by the reconstitution of neighbourhood watch groups in various communities, strengthening grassroots vigilance and local participation in security.
In urban areas, the state has invested heavily in technology, installing surveillance cameras across Enugu metropolis and on police patrol vehicles to improve real-time monitoring and rapid response to incidents.
Further support came from the Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Osita Ngwu, who donated critical security equipment to the Forest Guards. The items include body armour, bulletproof vests and helmets, long-range binoculars, communication radios and first aid materials aimed at improving operational efficiency and personnel safety. Chairman of the Enugu State Forest Guards Board, Col. Daniel Chukwu (rtd.), described the intervention as timely, noting that the agency had inherited a “broken and dysfunctional system” which required rebuilding.
Similarly, the Commander of the Forest Guards, DCP Olasoji Akinbayo (rtd.), said the donation had boosted the morale of operatives and would enhance ongoing operations across the state’s forests.
He disclosed that the government had procured over 1,000 sophisticated rifles for the outfit, enabling personnel to intensify efforts in tackling crime and securing vulnerable areas.
The combination of improved equipment, technological investment and community-based security initiatives appears to be yielding results, with residents reporting increased safety and a stronger security presence across the state.
Ebonyi neighbourhood security on the trail of criminals
Ebonyi State has good security network following measures put in place by the state government and security agencies.
The Neighbourhood Security Watch is giving criminals in the state a hot chase, just as a joint security network made up of police, army and other security agencies have been set up to ensure adequate security in the state. Governor Francis Nwifuru procured Hilux vans for the joint security forces and branded the operational vehicles.
The security agencies have been patrolling the nooks and crannies of the state reducing armed robbery, kidnapping and other crimes to the barest minimum.
The joint security forces was responsible for the arrest of the nine suspects accused of abducting and killing the traditional ruler of Ndufu-Alike community, Ikwo Local Government Area of the state, Francis Igwe.
The state government also set up a security outfit known as Neighbourhood Security Watch, which is in charge of internal security across the state.
The security outfit is found in all the 13 Local Government areas of the state.
President General of Amaokwiri, Egeburu in Afikpo Local Government Area of the state, John Eze, called for training and retraining of members of the security outfit to ensure professionalism.
“Actually, Neighbourhood Security Watch is doing very well in internal security in our state but the way they operate is worrisome.
“If you contact them when an incident happens, they will not waste time to arrive the scene of the incident. Once they arrive the scene and you point at someone as a suspect, they will descend on the person without verifying if the person is a suspect or not and this is where other security agencies in the state are doing better,” he said.
