Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has inaugurated a Special Security Committee in furtherance of his determination to stamp out the menace of kidnapping and killings by terrorists in and around Umunneochi Local Government Area.
Inaugurating the Committee at the Government House,Umuahia Governor Ikpeazu who named their mandate to include; intelligence gathering, apprehension of strange elements in the area,charged them to set up systems that would help government stamp out criminals who have constituted themselves into security threats.
He further charged the committee members to take decisive action in flushing out all criminal elements in the area as well collaborate with neighboring communities in other states to ensure that trans-border crime would be adequately tackled.
“It has become very apt for us to change strategy and the strategy we have decided to adopt is community based approach where we would depend on youths of Umunneochi in collaboration with security agencies to ensure that there are no ungoverned spaces in Umumneochi.
“It is going to be a wholistic and robust approach because this crime is gradually entrenching and if we don’t do anything about it, we may be running into a big time trouble”, Ikpeazu said.
While noting that the state government would replicate the initiative in Isuikwuato and Ukwa West local government Areas to ensure adequate security of citizens, Ikpeazu warned that government would deal decisively with any citizen found to be conniving with the criminals.
The Governor who assured of his administration’s support in ensuring safety of lives and properties of Abians, said government would provide all that is needed to make give impetuous to their job and announced the immediate provision of a patrol vehicles and motorcycles.
Responding onbehalf of the Committee,the Chairman, Eze Okechukwu Chukwuji thanked the Governor for the initiative which he noted would checkmate the issue of insecurity in Umunneochi and assured that they will justify the confidence reposed in them.
The Special Security Committee for Umunneochi which has 12 persons as members, is made up of stakeholders representing different groups while the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr Eze Chikamnayo is the Secretary.
