Rising up to the Challenge

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State

Governors of Nigeria's South east region adopt new security measures aimed at checking the rising wave of kidnapping and armed robbery in the zone
By Okechukwu Obenta, Awka
Like the proverbial bird, Eleke-Ntioba which holds the notion that if hunters learn to shoot without missing, it will learn to fly without perching, Anambra state Governor, Peter Obi, has introduced several security measures that will make it virtually impossible for hoodlums to operate anywhere in the state. The new security policy is apparently an immediate outcome of series of consultations which began over a year ago between the state government and security experts and leaders of various communities in the wake of invasion of the state by kidnappers and armed robbers.
Without mincing words, any close observer will admit that the state is indeed one of the worst hit by the unfortunate incidence of kidnapping and armed robbery which appears to have become in recent time, a common experience in virually every part of the country.
And in an apparent bid to match force with force, Governor Obi last week introduced new measures that would make it virtually impossible for criminals to operate anywhere in the state. Under the new security measures, the leadership of every community in the state, particularly the President-Generals and the traditional rulers, are to be held responsible for any crime, especially kidnap and armed robbery that occur in their communities. The reason, according to the governor, is that it is virtually impossible for any criminal to operate successfully in an area without the active connivance of a resident of the area. And because the leadership of respective communities and the traditional rulers are close to their areas, they ought to know more about dubious characters in their domain.
In other to strengthen them to meet the new challenges, Governor Obi doled out a whooping N100 million to the leadership of the 177 communities in the state to enable them set up effective security arrangement in their respective areas. Out of this sum, each town union leadership was issued with a N500, 000 cheque. Interestingly, all the five Southeast state governments have already adopted the new security policy.
At their regular joint meeting, tagged, “Forum of Southeast Governors” held at Enugu State Government House, Enugu, on July 4, 2010 (just few days after the measures were announced by the Anambra state government), the governors discussed extensively the issue of security in the zone, particularly the recurring cases of kidnapping. Governor Obi is incidentally Chairman of the Forum.
The Governors unanimously resolved as follows: “That all property owners in the zone are advised to ensure that their properties are not used to facilitate kidnapping, as any such properties would be seized by Government and the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) revoked; all Traditional Rulers and Presidents-General of Town Unions in the zone are hereby warned that they will be held responsible for criminal acts in their communities, which occurrence will lead to the withdrawal of certificate of recognition in the case of Traditional Rulers and in the case of Town Union Presidents-General, such leader will be removed from office and subsequently face prosecution. They are therefore advised to immediately report any suspected individual to the security agencies; leaders of various market unions and motor parks will also be held responsible for what happens within their domains; parents and families are warned to counsel their wards to desist from any act capable of associating them with cases of kidnap.”
Interestingly, the new security measures have already started yielding the expected results. For instance, two kidnap incidents that jolted Awka, the Anambra state capital recently included that of Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, a prominent politician and Mrs. Adline Madu, Principal of Kenneth Dike Grammar school.
Nwobu, popular as Obuka Awka is the Chairman of the Action Congress (AC) in the state, though he is currently rumoured to have resigned from the position following the return of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Nwobu is known in the state as a staunch member of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), a political machinery of the late Alhaji Shehu Musa Yar’Adua which Atiku currently seems to be the arrow-head.
Shortly after he was kidnapped, information went round virtually every part of the state capital concerning his ordeal, and the bandits were given a hot chase.
Before he was whisked away from Ifite Road at about 8.30pm that fateful day, the hoodlums were said to have shot him twice on the leg thereby making him to bleed profusely. The criminals, sources revealed, had initially demanded N10 million ransom, but, later collected N1.5million before releasing him in the early hours of the following day when they saw that his health was deteriorating as a result of the rapid loss of blood.
The politician was found at about 5.30am the next day somewhere at Oji-River area in neighbouring Enugu state. He was brought out in a wheel-barrow from the kidnappers’ hideout said to be about 10 kilometres to the place where his relatives later him that early morning by one of his co-captives ,a driver of one of the commercial banks in Awka who was said to have been kidnapped the same day with him. Nwobu was later rushed to a hospital in Awka where he underwent blood transfusion for several hours.
In the case of Madu, after she was kidnapped in broad daylight from her school and was being whisked away in her private car, some commercial motorcycle operators who got wind of the incident gave the kidnapper a hot chase accompanied by men of the state Police Command’s anti-crime squad which eventually got the woman rescued somewhere at Mbaukwu, a town located few kilometres away from Awka.
As a mark of appreciation, the state Police Command later presented a brand new motorcycle to one of the commercial motor-cyclists whose motorcycle got damaged while pursuing the criminals. The state Commissioner of Police, Philemon Leha, presented the motorcycle to the leader of vigilante group at the headquarters of the state police command. The gesture, according to the police boss, was in appreciation of the co-operation and gallantry displayed by the commercial motorcycle riders in assisting the command to rescue the school principal. He solicited for more co-operation from the Okada riders and, indeed, other members of the public in the onerous task of fighting criminals.
In fact, the police boss strongly expressed the view that criminals will find it difficult to operate in any area if those living there are committed to flushing them out. He explained that he chose not to present the motorcycle directly to the beneficiary for security reasons.
Unfortunately, however, the school principal who incidentally is the mother of the National Chairman of one of the newly registered political parties, Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Edozie Madu, was later to be kidnapped again by her tormentors.
The school was later said to be frequently invaded by hoodlums– a development which forced members of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school to storm Government House, Awka two weeks ago to request the intervention of the state government. The parents attributed the incessant attacks on the school to the feud over the ownership of the land, and urged the government to fence the school round and prevail on the state police Command to provide it with adequate security. They disclosed that about five students in the school were in hospital as a result of gunshot wounds which they received during one of the attacks; five others were also injured seriously.
Chuks Iloegbunam, Director of Communications, Government House, Awka who received the protesters on behalf of Governor Obi who was out of the state at the time the parents came, commended them for bringing the development to the attention of the state government and assured that he would communicate their complaints to the governor.
The Source, however, learnt that dispute between the two neighbouring communities Awka and Amawbia over the ownership of the land that situates the school was responsible for the frequent attacks on the institution.