Amby Uneze in Owerri
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma has reiterated his government’s resolve to flush out all bandits, Kidnappers and terrorists in the State, even as he commended the security agencies for destroying the bomb factory at Ekeututu market in Orsu Local Government Area of the State last weekend.
The governor, while briefing journalists at the Government House yesterday also debunked insinuation that foreigner’s name were discovered in the INEC Register in Omuma ward which is his home ward.
While extolling the tactics of the security agencies in listing the bomb factory, he noted that the professional approach of the security agencies prevented loss of lives during the operation but regretted the critical injury sustained by the army captain and another officer who led the operation.
Uzodimma, who vowed to sustain the fight against insecurity in the state, explained that the natives of the area where subjected to various forms of molestation including tasking them to pay all forms of illegal taxes before opening their shops.
He has also promised the people of the community that their market, shops and other items destroyed in the process of the operation would be replaced and adequate compensation made to the affected innocent traders.
“As I speak with you, the army Captain that led this operation and another officer is lying critical at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Federal Medical Centre, the soldiers were able to dislodge bandits’ fertilizer and other electrical items they used in manufacturing the explosives and all were recovered.
“In the process they burnt down the shops and this is consistent with our policy in the fight against insecurity, kidnapping and other form of criminality,” he said.
The governor expressed displeasure over the activities of some of the citizens of the state “those of them who are candidates running for elections in other political parties, they were even so brazen to blackmail the security agencies questioning why they should go there at all.
“None of them made attempt to visit the scene, while some are in Abuja talking to the media, some are also in Owerri here ranting that Imo State is bleeding. At the same Eke Ututu market, people don’t even go to the market without paying taxes to unknown gunmen, I mean taxes for them to be able to open their shops and this is what we have been fighting all through.
“Let me use this medium to state that the fight against, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping in Imo State, government will stop at nothing, it is not politics, it’s about security of lives and properties of our people, so anybody who wants to play politics with that; well history will judge all of us.
“I think we would continue to support security agencies to continue to do their work while we regret any colossal damage that may go with it, by this we mean the burning of the shops and the historical significance of Eke Ututu market,” the governor said.
He added: “Those ones can be replaced and rebuilt but lives lost can never be replaced, Imo State government will also rebuild the market, even in the process, there are innocent traders who lost their items, government will work out compensation for them as government has a responsibility to fight crime.
Speaking on the alleged inflation of voters in his ward, Omuma, the governor said: “For those of them who said Omuma is a local place, Omuma is not a local place, it has an urban status, additional traffic and influx of human being.
“But I think what happened was that the opposition has lost track, those who are speaking are candidates of PDP, I don’t want to join issues with them, it would only make them popular, the fact remains that in 2019, Omuma had over 23,000 registered voters and the INEC final compilation is not out.
“So, whoever is talking about padding or not padding, they’re also saying this because they are sponsoring insecurity and thought nobody is at Omuma again, we have Police Area Command in addition to the Divisional Command, that means additional traffic for Omuma. Also we have immigration, custom at Omuma and these are additional traffic.
“So, I don’t see how some people who do not work with the National Population Commission would come and talk about figures, I even heard that there are some Japanese in the register, but the students at the polytechnic there at Omuma are Nigerians, I don’t think there is any Japanese there,” he added.
