House to house search for criminals begins
The operations of Operation Akpakwu, a new security outfit launched last week by Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, with the mandate to rid the state of kidnappers and other criminals elements, have started yielding results with the arrest of a plethora of kidnappers that have been terrorising the capital, Calabar.
The latest arrest includes a notorious kidnapper, Etim Etim Bassey and members of his gang.
Bassey and his gang members were nabbed yesterday in Calabar South axis of the capital following intelligence report.
The same day at noon, another set of daredevil kidnappers met their waterloo in the hands of the operation “Akpakwu” operatives stationed around Mary Slessor Roundabout in the metropolis.
The kidnappers who had emerged from a vehicle, violently sized a middle aged man waiting for a taxi by the roadside zooming off with him in lightning speed.
However, the Operation “Akpakwu” patrol team stationed near-by gave the kidnappers a hot chase, prompting them to abandon their victim in their get away car opposite the Cross River State Ministry of Information and fled to the adjacent Spar shopping Mall where they mixed with genuine shoppers.
But determined to smoke them out, operatives of operation “Akpakwu” cordoned off the shopping Mall and eventually arrested them.
Meanwhile, in line with its mandate, security agents attached to Operation “Akpakwu” have commenced house to house search for kidnappers and other criminal elements in Calabar.
In the same vein, the Cross River State Government has sued for residents’ cooperation and understanding as the outfit embarks on stop and search operations.
A statement issued yesterday by Special Adviser to governor on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, explained that the exercise was aimed at “rooting criminal elements out of the state”.
Ayade had, while launching the security outfit, declared war on the kidnappers and other criminals in the state, asking them to relocate from Cross River, especially, Calabar, or face the wrath of his government.
