By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

In his quest to curb the killings, kidnappings and car snatching and other vices that is denting the image if the Light of the Nation State, Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo on Saturday launched a new security outfit code named ?Operation Udo Ga-Achi? (?Peace Must Prevail?).

Speaking at the event held at the International Conference Center, Awka, Soludo promised to pay up to N5million to any whistleblower that will provide information that will lead to the arrest or capture of any kidnapper/s.

The Governor had earlier in the day disbursed about 200 vehicles which include, Hilux trucks, Sienna Vehicles, to various security agencies to strengthen their operations.

Pledging to fight criminality, he said: ?We have come to launch an operation that will secure us. First was the passage of the Anambra Homeland Security Laws, which was done just two days ago, the bill has passed into law, and has become operational.

"I want to assure you that despite the lucrative criminality, and it?s attendant fetish practices, we pledge to fight criminality and make Anambra the safest state in the country.

?Kidnapping is not new, my father had been kidnapped as far back as 2009, GU Okeke, Pokobros and many others have fallen victim too. Before I assumed office, about eight local government areas were being controlled by gunmen.

"They killed policemen and collected guns, attacked and burnt down police stations and went into the bush to label themselves liberators.

"We came in and went to work and cleared them and we recovered the eight local government areas that were under siege. These gangs claim to be Biafra freedom fighters. IPOB has dissociated themselves from it, but one Simon Ekpa has continued kidnapping for ransom.?

While regretting that kidnapping for ransom has recently become the most lucrative enterprise, even more lucrative than drug and oil, Soludo added: ?For every one naira reported as payment for ransom, five to six naira was not reported. With a culture that celebrates wealth without craft, even the kidnappers amongst us are now celebrated.

?Idolatry which these criminals have converted to have become the fastest growing religion in the South East. Nothing is sacred to them anymore.

?We are coming for them. We promise to pay whistleblowers who give information that can lead to the arrest of kidnappers in the state. We will review the extent of the usefulness of the information, and whistleblowers can get as much as N5million.?

He also observed that initially people linked the criminals to Biafra struggle, even as others who watched events shortly before the 2021 governorship election attributed it to politics.

The Governor said: ?This criminality have nothing attached to politics or even Biafra struggle, but typically as an enterprise, geared towards making money.

?Security agencies are doing their best in the state, and I am out to ensure that they function properly by providing logistical support, and also declaring full war if need be.

?Security forces doing their best to combat this, but we need to strengthen them with logistical capability, social reengineering and citizen support. We can?t defeat this warped system with guns alone, so we are deploring kinetic and non-kinetic approach to it.

?We unveiled 200 vehicles and we will acquire more. Agunechemba will have over 2,000 personnel. We have acquired tracking system and we will deploy surveillance cameras to monitor communities. We will rebuild 28 divisional police station that were burnt down by hoodlums.?

The Governor however named some communities like Isseke, Lilu, Mbosi, as areas gunmen mostly operate in.

He said: ?Tell them we are coming, even if it means declaring the area a war zone, just tell them we are coming. We are also making war plans and we will unleash war on them. We are now ready to fight, they will give way and they will do so finally.?

Soludo used the occasion to unveil the state?s new security agency; Agunechemba, which he said comprised of over 2,000 operatives drawn from various security agencies.

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