Abia Govt raises alarm over increased crime rate, accuses politicians, vows to smoke out perpetrators

Abia State Government has said it has established that some unpatriotic politicians, in connivance with external parties, are behind the current wave of violence and crime that have claimed the lives of security agents and civilians since the end of May 2024.

According to the state government, a series of tip-offs received from patriotic citizens and reliable intelligence showed that the sole agenda is to cause disaffection and distract the government from its focus on the development of the state.

This was made known by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti, in a press release on Monday.

The state government, which said that it will not yield to blackmail and intimidation from any person or group, warned that it would not allow violence to be unleashed on the peace-loving citizens of Abia State.

“Those behind the attacks on security agents and innocent civilians, including the kidnapping of law-abiding citizens with a view to creating anarchy and instilling fear in the minds of Abians and visitors, after their failure to use lies and propaganda to incite Abians, should understand that the government will bring its full capacity and institutional forces to bear in order to smoke them out.

“The state government, led by Governor Alex Otti, is prepared and equal to the task of safeguarding the lives and property of people living in any part of Abia State.”

The state government disclosed that a new counteroffensive has just been launched to decimate every structure of terror erected or being erected in any Abia territory by criminals, even as it cautioned Abians against harboring any person or persons they do not know, to avoid falling victims.

It further urged Abia people to cooperate with the government and security agencies in getting rid of all criminal elements, even as it told traditional rulers to report every suspicious activity to law enforcement agents.

Last week, three military officers were killed at Ekenobizi, Umuahia, by unknown persons. A politician based in Port Harcourt was also kidnapped in the state capital, while a tricycle was snatched at gunpoint.

On Monday, there were reports of an attack on the convoy of House of Representatives member Ginger Onwusibe, which claimed the life of a policeman, among other recent criminal activities.