By Deji Elumoye
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has appealed to the federal government to increase the security presence as well as give the security agencies necessary logistics support towards addressing the security challenges facing the state.
Uzodinma made this known Friday while fielding questions from newsmen after a meeting on Friday with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
The governor said the appeal was coming on the heels of various attacks on police stations in the state, noting that every support he asked for has been approved and granted by the president.
He said: ”The situation in Imo State is now relatively calm. Every other support I asked for the president also approved and granted. You must have heard of the various banditry activities in Imo State and how even at a time a few weeks ago, the police headquarters was attacked and a correctional services facility was also attacked, inmates released and since that time, there have been a couple of breaches here and there.”
When asked if he subscribes to the claim that the attackers were not from Imo State, Uzodinma said some of those arrested by security agencies are not from Imo State or the South-east, but a combination of those within the state and those from outside the state.
On how many people that have so far been arrested, he said almost 40 to 50 people who have made useful statements and confessed to the crime.
The governor stressed that the issue of banditry is something everyone must rise up to condemn and then support security agencies to be able to provide an enabling environment for people to go about their businesses, without fear of any molestation.
According to him, ”The job of security of a country cannot be left to security agencies alone. The job requires the citizenry to support security agencies through intelligence gathering. Also government at all levels, including traditional leaderships, to support government because the bandits stay among us, the criminals live among us and if we’re not in position to report them, or report their activities to security agencies, then we are undoing ourselves.
”So I encourage everybody to see this as a collective challenge that all of us must join hands; whether you are from the local government, community level, to state, up to federal government, we must join hands because we don’t have another country. The only country we can beat our chests and call our own is Nigeria and we must work towards ensuring that the integrity of our country, the security situation in our country is such that allows people, residents and citizens to go about their businesses without fear of molestation.”
Commenting on the Eastern Security outfit, he said: ”Well, I believe in the rule of law and the constitution has a procedure and the punishment for every criminal. If confirmed a criminal, is also defined in the established statues. So a criminal is a criminal, once confirmed, but what I don’t agree to is that anybody will want us to discuss and negotiate with confirmed criminals. What is important is making sure that the person has been confirmed to be a criminal and through due process, the confirmation came, you must face the law of the land.”
On how Nigeria can manage sectional and ethnic crises, Uzodinma said he’s not in support of any call for cessation, adding that he wants a united, strong Nigeria.
”Our strength is in our diversity and today, we are supposed to play a leading role in this continent. We don’t want to whittle down our strength. Rather, what I advise is that we must appreciate the gift of nature, in our land and the support government. Listen, let me tell you something, this country is blessed by God. From 2015 till today, I thought what the problem would be is people saying that with no job creation, people are not feeding, salaries are not paid, infrastructure are going down, social interventions are not approved by government. These things are there, available, a pass mark for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
”Now, people are no longer talking about that, rather what they are doing is to sponsor crisis, to the extent that those funding this banditry are politicians, which I challenge and call on security agencies to make their names available to the press because what they want to do is to distract a government that is focused.
“If this government is not doing well, I’ll be one of those that will declare the government is not doing well, but a situation where you’ll live the formal way, ethical way of doing politics, and you are now sponsoring banditry to bring down a government, for Christ’s sake, we should rise up and condemn it, all of us,” he said.
Uzodinma, while calling on the opposition to partner with the administration to facilitate development programmes for the people generally, he said only ‘an enabling environment’ could make those things realistic.
“For those things to function, we need an enabling environment. That is why the enemies, not deterred by the progress the government is making, are now out to scuttle good governance.
“Opposition and politics are about the people. Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. Why are people hiring people to kill the people? There is no responsible government that will not want those who voted him or her to power to be happy and this government I have seen is a responsible government.
“However, I think we are rising to the occasion. I can tell you that sooner than later, today will become a thing of the past and Nigeria will move forward,” he said.
