Follow Us on Google
From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Former Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Simon Okeke has expressed worry over growing security challenges in the South East and Anambra State in particular.
Chief Okeke while addressing journalists at his residence in Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area said the situation had been affecting the South East and Anambra State economy adversely.
He advocated that elders and all the security stakeholders in the region should rise to the occasion to address the upsurge. He described as worrisome a situation where some areas in communities like Ihiala, Ukpor, Azia, Orsumoghu and Ezinifite and environs had become a no-go area because of the presence of criminal elements there.
“I advocate that the elders and statesman in Igboland should rally round and adopt a measure. If conventional approach doesn’t work, an unconditional measure can be adopted to checkmate the situation. I don’t think that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) are behind these attacks. This is a horrible situation.
“Community leaders should brace up and do the needful to assist in information gathering and dissemination because this has to be a collective effort to handle the situation, ” he said.
The former police boss said that decimation of the police and other security agents had compounded the issue to the extent that the porous security in the State had made it possible for Anambra and other States in the South East zone to record high level of casualties.
“At the early period of Governor Willie Obiano’s administration, the situation was bad but he went all out to fight it and Anambra became one of the safest States in the South East. And Governor Obiano was even given an award for that. But very much later the situation became worse.
He said more worrisome was the fact that many police stations were razed during and after the EndSARS protest, a situation that he noted had instilled fear in the police men across the States of the South East who are now demoralized even after rebuilding those police stations.
He said he had made contacts with some of the heads of the security operatives including the police, DSS and the army and had was given the impression that they had shortage of manpower.
He advised that the incoming Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State should give priority to security and declare war against criminalities in the State.
He also said that the new Governor should embrace maintenance culture, repair existing roads and build more roads.
According to him, he believed Professor Charles Soludo would embrace the maintenance of legacy projects Governor Obiano would leave behind.
“I commend the outgoing Governor, Willie Obiano for his legacy projects especially the construction of an airport, a project that had eluded the State in the past. The airport ranks second with the one in Lagos. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also commended Governor Obiano the day he came to Anambra.
“I commend him very well. I was there at the commissioning of the dual carriage way. Governor Obiano constructed a massive conference center with between 11,000 and 12,000 capacity and that is the biggest I have ever seen. We now have a stadium. Obiano has done well.
“I request that the incoming Governor should maintain those legacy projects. And I believe that Soludo will do that because he is a product of a decent society, ” Chief Okeke said.
