How safe is Anambra State?
To successfully walk from Bridge Head to Upper Iweka in Onitsha, any time of the night is a feat. This is especially so if the person is carrying personal things or money. Not many are able to achieve that these
days, no thanks to gangs of marauding criminals, both small and large, they have made the once safe shaft very unsafe for everyone. Two weeks ago, a businessman and his apprentice had just gotten off a vehicle around 10 pm in the Bridge Head area. There were four young men huddled a short distance from where the businessman got off the bus. Usually, the stage would not have raised eyebrows as the youngsters could just have been cooling down and savoring the cool night air. But as soon as the businessman and his son got off the bus, the four young men surrounded them with guns. The incident is just one of many that have become the lot of those residing or doing business in the largest commercial enclave in the state of Anambra. Has the crime simply overtaken the city, while police and other security agencies are quiet, either as a result of inability to cope, or by complicity (or both)? Apart from this incident, the entire city of Onitsha has been devastated by the crime. From Bridge Head to Okpoko and Fegge, men from the underworld seem to have overwhelmed security agencies. This has resulted in the killing of five policemen in the city in the last year. There was even this story of a police man whose weapon was taken from him while he was eating. Using the pedestrian bridges at night is equally dangerous, since bad guys are often at the forefront. Uche Amunike of the Fides newspaper, Awka, has lost his phone three times in Onitsha to these abusers. The third occasion was in front of her house when two men on a bicycle stopped in front of her and her daughter in broad daylight and brandished a weapon before taking their phones. There are notorious areas in the metropolis of Onitsha. They include Okpoko, Fegge and Obosi. The case of Obosi surpasses the imagination, since this has been a dangerous zone known for many years, nevertheless, the police has allowed that the things continue to degenerate there. It was here that the popular presenter of the Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS, and the deejay, Magic Fingers, was filmed late one night. He managed to escape with his life and ran straight to the Borromeo Hospital where he was quickly admitted. And then last Monday, Sun Newspapers circulation manager Fabián Obi was killed in cold blood after a gunman entered his office on Old Market Road and pumped him with bullets three times before taking his money. The killer on top of a waiting or okada tricycle. The leadership of the Union of Journalists of Nigeria, NUJ, Southeast, headed by comrade Chris Isiguzo, Vice President and Ken Ofoma, Secretary, said: "We received with surprise the news of the murder of an agent of the Sun newspaper in Onitsha, Fabián Obi In order for this to happen in a moment, the military operation called "Python Dance 11", aimed at controlling the growing wave of armed robberies, kidnappings and other forms of crime, continues in "We also want to remind the Anambra State Government that the primary responsibility of a responsible government is the protection of life and property. Abandoning this responsibility, especially at this critical time when the state is preparing for an important election, resulting in the rising tide of insecurity in the state, in fact, speaks volumes about the government's commitment to the safety of life. That the necessary thing is done as fast as possible, because a stitch in time saves nine. "In Awka, the state capital, crime in the Okpuno area is well documented. One does not dare to walk the streets at night with personal effects. in a session with the immediate police commissar in Anambra state on the threat of criminals in these areas, had been offended by the question.But this is not a problem to be frustrated by a feigned nuisance. of the state in these areas is real and needs to be addressed.Insitsha is fundamental to Anambra's economy and to allow the bandits to invade the place will damage the state financially.The failure of the government and security agencies to control the avalanche of crimes in Onitsha can be counterproductive and that is why everything must be done to control the trend.The Anambra State Government has done well by investing heavily in security. The police and other agencies must reciprocate by living up to their responsibilities. Anambra may be among the safest states in the country, but Onitsha is becoming the safest city. And if crime rates in this city continue to rise steadily, the safest state may not be very safe after all. Mr. Atupulazi Jude, editor of the Fides newspaper, wrote of Awka, Anambra state.
days, no thanks to gangs of marauding criminals, both small and large, they have made the once safe shaft very unsafe for everyone. Two weeks ago, a businessman and his apprentice had just gotten off a vehicle around 10 pm in the Bridge Head area. There were four young men huddled a short distance from where the businessman got off the bus. Usually, the stage would not have raised eyebrows as the youngsters could just have been cooling down and savoring the cool night air. But as soon as the businessman and his son got off the bus, the four young men surrounded them with guns. The incident is just one of many that have become the lot of those residing or doing business in the largest commercial enclave in the state of Anambra. Has the crime simply overtaken the city, while police and other security agencies are quiet, either as a result of inability to cope, or by complicity (or both)? Apart from this incident, the entire city of Onitsha has been devastated by the crime. From Bridge Head to Okpoko and Fegge, men from the underworld seem to have overwhelmed security agencies. This has resulted in the killing of five policemen in the city in the last year. There was even this story of a police man whose weapon was taken from him while he was eating. Using the pedestrian bridges at night is equally dangerous, since bad guys are often at the forefront. Uche Amunike of the Fides newspaper, Awka, has lost his phone three times in Onitsha to these abusers. The third occasion was in front of her house when two men on a bicycle stopped in front of her and her daughter in broad daylight and brandished a weapon before taking their phones. There are notorious areas in the metropolis of Onitsha. They include Okpoko, Fegge and Obosi. The case of Obosi surpasses the imagination, since this has been a dangerous zone known for many years, nevertheless, the police has allowed that the things continue to degenerate there. It was here that the popular presenter of the Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS, and the deejay, Magic Fingers, was filmed late one night. He managed to escape with his life and ran straight to the Borromeo Hospital where he was quickly admitted. And then last Monday, Sun Newspapers circulation manager Fabián Obi was killed in cold blood after a gunman entered his office on Old Market Road and pumped him with bullets three times before taking his money. The killer on top of a waiting or okada tricycle. The leadership of the Union of Journalists of Nigeria, NUJ, Southeast, headed by comrade Chris Isiguzo, Vice President and Ken Ofoma, Secretary, said: "We received with surprise the news of the murder of an agent of the Sun newspaper in Onitsha, Fabián Obi In order for this to happen in a moment, the military operation called "Python Dance 11", aimed at controlling the growing wave of armed robberies, kidnappings and other forms of crime, continues in "We also want to remind the Anambra State Government that the primary responsibility of a responsible government is the protection of life and property. Abandoning this responsibility, especially at this critical time when the state is preparing for an important election, resulting in the rising tide of insecurity in the state, in fact, speaks volumes about the government's commitment to the safety of life. That the necessary thing is done as fast as possible, because a stitch in time saves nine. "In Awka, the state capital, crime in the Okpuno area is well documented. One does not dare to walk the streets at night with personal effects. in a session with the immediate police commissar in Anambra state on the threat of criminals in these areas, had been offended by the question.But this is not a problem to be frustrated by a feigned nuisance. of the state in these areas is real and needs to be addressed.Insitsha is fundamental to Anambra's economy and to allow the bandits to invade the place will damage the state financially.The failure of the government and security agencies to control the avalanche of crimes in Onitsha can be counterproductive and that is why everything must be done to control the trend.The Anambra State Government has done well by investing heavily in security. The police and other agencies must reciprocate by living up to their responsibilities. Anambra may be among the safest states in the country, but Onitsha is becoming the safest city. And if crime rates in this city continue to rise steadily, the safest state may not be very safe after all. Mr. Atupulazi Jude, editor of the Fides newspaper, wrote of Awka, Anambra state.
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