Anambra State governor, Peter Obi

By Emeka Osondu

Security operatives in Anambra State Sunday arrested four kidnap suspects, just as the state government sealed Arthur Garden Hotels at Nkpor, where the suspects were quartered.

The state governor, Peter Obi, who personally led a team of security operatives to the hotel, said the state government would henceforth work round the clock to prevent resurgence of violent crimes in the state.

He pledged that his government would work assiduously to prevent the resurgence of violent crime in the state, saying: The boost in industrialisation of the state is the result of its peace and security. This hotel will remain closed until investigation is concluded.

“If it is established that it housed the kidnappers; the state government will not only demolish it, it will also confiscate the land,’’ Obi said.

The governor however vowed that once the law establishes that the hotel harbours kidnappers, the state would not only demolish it, but also confiscate the land, adding that the hotel would remain closed until investigations are concluded.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the operation, Obi said he got the news of the arrest of the suspects at the hotel by 3.a.m. and decided to personally preside over the sealing of the hotel so as to send a clear message to “all those engaged in, or aiding and abetting kidnapping that Anambra State was not a place for them.”

Chairman of Idemili North local government area Caretaker Committee, Ralph Nnabuife, in whose domain the hotel is sited, thanked the governor for his prompt response, assuring the people of the area that their security was paramount to the government.

Also reacting to the incident, a resident in the area, Okechukwu Ejike, commended the governor’s prompt response, stressing that they were overwhelmed by his commitment to the people’s welfare.