BANDITRY: LAW MAKER COMMENDS GOVERNOR UGWUANYI’S INITIATIVE
The law maker representing Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Nnolim Nnaji has praised the efforts of the Enugu State Governor, Right Honourable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to checkmate the spate of banditry and kidnapping in the various parts of the state.
He noted that the Governor has in the last two weeks held strategic meetings with various interest groups and stakeholders with a view to finding lasting solutions to the security challenges confronting the state.
“He started first with all the leaderships of the security agencies in the state immediately after the brutal murder of Reverend Father Paul Offu, the Parish Priest of St James the Greater Parish, Ugbawka, Nkanu West Local Government Area.
“Our peace loving Governor equally held other series of meetings with community leaders and those of the Hausa community in Enugu State during which he sought their cooperation with the security agencies in their quest to arrest the rising insecurity in Enugu”.
“It is also instructive to add that Governor Ugwuanyi's subsequent recruitment of 20 able bodied youths per ward to serve as vigilantes with handsome remunerations is commendable.
“The vigilantes and the forest guard earlier being engaged will complement the efforts of the security agencies with check points in all exit and entry points in all the local governments and communities of the state. “Special Police Squad, (SPS) has also been raised to patrol the black spots within the state while Military Check Points, (MCP) have been increased to further make it impossible for criminality to thrive in Enugu henceforth”.
Honourable Nnolim Nnaji who acknowledged that the Governor Ugwuanyi’s strategy was beginning to yield positive results also commended the leadership of the Miyetti Alla Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (MACBAN) Enugu State chapter for coming out to sensitise its members towards exposing any criminal elements that might infiltrate their ranks.
The law maker noted that several communities across Enugu State have played hosts to Fulani herders who have lived together with them peacefully over the years without hostility adding that there was need for collaborative efforts to fish out infiltrators who were giving the Fulanis bad image in the recent times.
Honourable Nnaji however urged the national leadership of Miyetti Alla to borrow from the example of the Enugu State chapter to assist the security agencies in tracking the killer herders across the country so that the bandits who were disguising as herders to unleash terror on innocent Nigerians can be tamed.
He further appealed to the people of Enugu State to give the Governor full cooperation to ensure that the current efforts to achieve a crime free Enugu is fully realized.
The lawmaker also gave his support for the Federal Government’s plans to establish community police adding that it would help in confidence building between the police and the locals.
He noted that it would equally improve intelligence gathering by the police with the assistance of the natives who have better understanding of their environment.
“In most advanced countries, community policing has yielded more result than the type of Federal structure we operate. Am sure the law we will come up with will appropriately define the limits of the functions of the local police authority and the roles of the federal police so there will be no ambiguity”, he stated.
