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Home arrow News arrow East arrow NBA, Medical Association, others raise alarm over Bakassi

NBA, Medical Association, others raise alarm over Bakassi E-mail
Written by Anayo Okoli   
Monday, 20 October 2008
Aba—ABA branch of  Nigerian Bar Association and the Nigeria Medical Association with some civil societies based in the state have cried out to President Umaru Yar’Adua and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro to rescue Aba residents and enivirons from what they called “continued harassement and intimidation from the Abia state Vigilante Service (Bakassi).

They alleged that in addition to the increasing rate of violent crimes and kidnapping in the Abia state commercial city, the Bakassi operatives have been harassing and intimidating them with demands of illegal N1000 security levy, just as they lamented the increasing rate of kidnapping in the city.

Calling for the proscription of the vigilante outfit, the group said that Aba residents and even visitors to the commercial city now live in fear as they said to live under the siege of both crominals, kidnappers and terrorizing Abia vigilante group.

The group also drew the attention of President Yar’Adua and the Police Inspector General to the “most alarming and debilitating state of insecurity in Abia state, particularly Aba town and its environs in recent times as a result of activities of kidnappers”.

The lawyers, docotors and members of the civil society accused the Abia state Governement of lacking the political will to “act and arrest the people behind the spate of kidnapping” that has been going on in the state to the embarassment of the people of Abia state.

They also accused the police of compromising in their duties in the job of fishing out those behind the heinous acts. The group called for the overhaul of the entire Abia police, saying “we think that there are some moles among them”.

They said that over 100 people had been kidnapped from the state including lawyers in the last one year with huge monetay ransome being paid. They also blamed the traditional rulers for the menace of kidnapping in the state and called for the dethronement of any of them in whose domain kidnappings take place. They equally advised landlords to screen their tenants very well before admitting them in their houses.

The group wondered why the kidnapping and armed robbery remained on the increase in the face of many police checkpoints and patrol teams of soldiers and police across the state.

 

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  Comments (3)
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 1 bakkassi
Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , on 20-10-2008 19:59 , IP: 213.181.87.74
I live in the US. I am surprise that Bakassi still exit in Abia State.I believe that all the criminal activities in the state are being master minded by these boys including kidnapping.I thought that they left with their father Orji the former governor.Federal government pls. come to our aid as my people are living in Abia. Thanks.
 2 Harassment of Aba residents by Bakkassi
Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , on 20-10-2008 20:15 , IP: 81.199.51.31
It is no longer a secret that we don't have a government in Abia state with the full mandate of the people, but government of the "STEALING FEW" who will go a long way in making money and causing more hardship on the people they claim to be serving. 
 
I was scared last week Tuesday along 126 Azikiwe Road after Linto House where Afribank and other banks are now located when a bus carrying some men with pump action guns,machetes,and other types of guns stopped in front of the said building, having been around the area (I stay within there for my business) when armed rubbers who rubbed and killed innocent people in Fidelity Banl Plc in May,2007, I ran across the Road since I did not know whom they were, and my fear was based on the fact that banks were located within the area they stopped. 
 
As I waited to see what would happen next, about two of the men with guns and one gentle man came down with their guns together with a young man whose hands were tied to the back with a heavy rope, he was lied face down, and they used the machetes to cut the rope, and the young man heaved a sigh of relief. 
 
The young man cleaned the sands on his chest as he was sweating heavily as a result of the excruciating pains he must have endured because of the rope used in tying his hands to the back, the men ,whom I later found out to be the Bakassi boys sped-off in the bus they came with, while the now relieved young man found the next Okada to depart the scene as he looked jittery and ashamed since he would be seen as a criminal in the eyes of those around who did not know why he was so tortured. 
 
As I crossed the side in which I was waiting the vehicle before, one of the waiting passengers asked the other young gentleman whom he knows what the matter was, and the young man narrated thus:  
 
" This boy (whose hands were tied to the back) was in a bus when he saw the Bakassi boys harassing some people with their guns and machetes in a bid to clear Road for themselves,while some people were condemning the intimidating attitude of the Bakassi men while trying to clear the Road as a result of hold-up, the boy simply said that some of the Bakassi boys may resort to Armed Robbery if they are disbanded by any government that think their activities are no longer needed in future since they have turned to money making machines, and resorting to other illegal activities and killing of some innocent people, the boy did not know that one of the passengers was a member of the Bakassi outfit, and he simply grabbed the boy and called his colleagues on phone to rush to the scene of the boy's arrest, his members came and tied the boy's hands to the back and scared everybody away, while accusing the boy of being one of the criminals that has made Aba and Abia a bad place, and said they were going to kill him. 
 
The gentle man who summoned courage followed them in their bus and started begging them to leave the boy since they stay in the same business line, while pleading that the boy is known not to be a robber, he was asked to pay the sum of Five Thousand Naira (N5,000.00) if he wants the boy to be released, which he paid before the boy was released along Azikiwe" 
 
Tell me, does Abia people still have the FREEDOM OF SPEECH" as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution? 
 
I stand to be quoted " IT IS ONLY IN ABIA STATE,ESPECIALLY,ABA, WHERE YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHO IS A POLICEMAN AND A BAKASSI MAN AS BOTH OF THEM CARRY GUNS AND MACHETE, POLICE WILL COME TO ARREST A SUSPECT AND INSTEAD OF HIM TO USE A BARTON (IN THE CASE OF A PERSON RESISTING ARREST) THEY USES MACHETES AND THE PEOPLE ARE SCARED" 
 
A total overhaul of the Police in Abia should be carried out, and the new ones should be adequately funded and equipped to be able to carry out their policing duties,while this Bakassi outfit should be banned. 
 
How on earth could this people ask the whole building in Aba and environs to pay N1,000 per building and N500 per store, how many Billions are they realizing and how many are the Bakassi boys in Number? 
 
This is a collaboration with the government and some powerful thieves in power to extort money forcefully from the people which must be stopped. 
 
In as much as I don't support criminality in all ramifications, I don't as well support oppression and suppression of the people when you have rule of law in other states of the Federation. 
 
The Lagos state government recent bought some bullet proof vests,guns and ammunitions and vehicles for the Lagos Police, and they did not form and merge together the OPC boys with the police to combat crime in Lagos state, and the strategy is paying off, why must ours be different? 
 
In fact, I was even surprised to see the caption of this story in Vanguard,because, I have been one of those who had thought that Abia have nobody who speaks as Gani,Falana and other does in Lagos against oppression by any government-supported institution. 
 
It makes me laugh when you hear those feeding from government purse saying criminal activities have subsided as a result of police co-operation with Bakassi boys whereas monies are carried with Helicopters from Banks in Aba to other regions. 
 
Enough of this insult please! 
 
Johnson David 
Aba-Abia State
 3 no police
Written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , on 20-10-2008 20:40 , IP: 213.181.87.74
In fact, we have no police force in Nigeria.They, Government should please change all the criminals in the police force including ... The IG is not capable of that post.We need somebody like the late Idiagbon.Above all there will be no peace unless we have a revolution in that country.
 
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