.png)
By Madu Obi
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, has warned insurgents terrorizing the state not to take their luck too far in their own interest.
In an interview in Awka, Adeoye said that despite the challenges faced by security operatives, most of the areas hitherto occupied by the insurgents have been recovered.
The CP specifically mentioned Anambra South senatorial zone which was, at a time, a no -go area, adding that with the efforts of the command and other security operatives, the situation is becoming under control.
He said: "What we have in those areas (Anambra South) and what almost engulfed the whole state, is insurgency, and you know this is like a guerilla warfare, in which case you must be deliberate and methodical because it is not a conventional war.
"You make progress slowly. You gain ground, you secure it. You reclaim occupied territory and you secure it and go further. Those areas are no-go-areas for civilians, but not for security. As a matter of fact, we have Forward Operating Bases (FOB) in Osumoghu, Ukpor, Uli, aimed at ensuring we stem encroachment from Imo State."
These measures have been effective and that is why the rest of the state has been safe, because the routes through which they come have been blocked. Our police special forces are there, army is there, police is there, anti terrorist unit is also there.
"Before now, all the seven local government areas in Anambra South senatorial zone were under the control of the insurgents. Now, all parts of the state are safe, except Nnewi South and few areas in Ihiala."
So out of seven local governments, we have reclaimed five, and we are working on liberating the remaining two, and incidentally, those two have link with Imo.
"It got so bad that even their traditional rulers fled the communities. We had instances where their palaces were burnt."
"This insurgency problem was not against non indigenes as people take it to be. It is actually self immolation. "Custodians of the culture are being attacked. We are working to gradually reclaim all these areas that the insurgents have turned into their hideouts, because of natural forests, harsh topography, difficult terrains and others."
"They take refuge in that place and launch attacks from there, but now it is very difficult for them to launch such attacks and come out alive."
"Attacks have been checked to a reasonable extent. They plant landmines around those camps and also use rocket propelled grenade launchers. These are war materials and we are not at war."
"Federal government has exercised a lot of restraint in dealing with the problem, and I will advise the insurgents not to push their luck too far because patience has a limit."
"You will agree with me that up till now we have not used air strikes, Why? Because we are concerned about the safety of the people there. We don’t want collateral damage. But if their existence there will make life meaningless to innocent people, then government would have been pushed to the wall to go all out and take them out, in order to secure the people who have become canon-folder in their hands".
The CP said the insurgents even kidnap their own people and ask for ransom, adding that if such people don’t pay, they kill them.
"These hoodlums don’t care. 95 percent of their victims are their own relatives, while the other five percent are travelers, who, due to lack of the knowledge of the area, run into them," he stated.
He advised travelers to be using the expressway always, to avoid running into them, until they are flushed out.
Commenti