AWKA: Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state has expressed the worry that the fight against insecurity in the troubled Southeast geopolitical zone may be difficult to win any time soon with the people contributing food to sustain the criminals hiding in the region’s forests, see them as heroes and take the police as enemies.
Soludo also expressed the doubt that releasing leader of the proscribed separatist group – the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, will end the growing insecurity in Igboland.
Addressing newsmen at the governor’s lodge in Amawbia on Tuesday, Soludo said criminals are now exploiting the Biafran struggle to engage in “lucrative criminality” bordering on robbery, kidnapping, cultism, and idolatry.
The Governor maintained that the activities of these criminals have no bearing with any genuine liberation struggle, but sheer crimes driven by outright greed and lawlessness.
He revealed that over 99 percent of criminals arrested in Anambra in the last two years were Igbo, with an estimated over 70 percent of them being indigenes of other Southeast States.
The Governor said: “The so-called agitators have transformed into organised criminal gangs. They hide in forests, kidnapping innocent citizens for ransom, and they justify their atrocities under the pretext of Biafra. Let us be clear—this has nothing to do with any liberation movement. Criminality has taken on a life of its own. These people have tasted blood, and now, money is their motivation.
“Kanu and IPOB have repeatedly dissociated themselves from these criminals,” Soludo explained. “Even if Nnamdi Kanu is released today, I’m not sure they would listen to him because what they now pursue is wealth, not liberation. They have become enemies of the people they claim to protect. Who are they fighting for when they kidnap and kill their people?
“Our people know these criminals. They are our brothers, cousins, and neighbours.
“It’s unfortunate that in some communities, people contribute food to sustain these criminals hiding in the forests. How do you fight insecurity when people see criminals as heroes and the police as enemies?”
He however announced the plan to launch ‘Operation Udo Ga Chi’ (Operation Peace Shall Reign), a state-wide security initiative to tackle the security challenges plaguing the state.
According to him, Operation Udo Ga Chi will commence after January 25, 2025.
Soludo explained that he mobilised with 163 branded vehicles for stop-and-search activities and integrate advanced surveillance technology to track criminals and secure forests.
“We are intensifying our security measures with both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. We have trained forest guards to work with vigilantes and LG authorities to reclaim our forests. I call on these criminals to embrace our amnesty window, which remains open until the end of February,” Soludo explained.
