By Chidi Nkwopara, Owerri

For some time now,  Nigeria has been grappling with the challenges of violent crime, including armed robbery and kidnapping. At a point, no day passed without reports of either either armed robbery or kidnapping renting the air. Precious lives were sadly lost in these beastly acts.

In the South East geo-political zone, economic activities either slowed down or completely collapsed. Wealthy sons and daughters of the zone dreaded coming home for fear of being kidnapped, maimed or robbed. Life and living became most uncertain and unbearable.

*Gov. Ohakim presenting patrol vehicles to the state Police Command

Fiery clerics like the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony J.V. Obinna, apart from being a victim a robbery attack along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, have not ceased to condemn those involved in the dastardly act.

In a recent chat with Vanguard Metro in Owerri, Archbishop Obinna said: “These people do not live in the moon. These criminals, who have been keeping us very miserable are our brothers and sisters. They have no respect for human life. They have destroyed our corporate image within and outside Nigeria. But I know that the Good Lord we serve will surely deliver us from this mess”.

Addressing Imo stakeholders last month in Owerri, Governor Ikedi Ohakim went beyond armed robbery and kidnapping and pleaded that the war to free the state from the stranglehold of those who insist that the state shall know no peace must be seen as a collective responsibility.

He lamented that the state is faced with war of total destruction waged by its own citizens, adding that for three years, the state was bogged down with serial litigations by those who could not accept the verdict of the people, inspired by God and affirmed by the courts of the land.

“Government has unearthed plans by a group of politicians, including a woman, to use labour unions, the physically-challenged, unemployed youths and media terrorism to incite the people to violence and create fear in the 27 local government areas of the state in order to cause confusion and disrupt the August 8, 2010, local government elections,” Ohakim said.

After giving a graphic account of what the politicians plan to do, the Governor recalled with grief that while the Imo Investment Summit was in full swing, “they hallucinated and disseminated obviously false text messages, alleging mass arrest of government officials”.

According to Ohakim, the remorseless characters also planned to cause stampede and deaths during the recruitment exercise for 10,000 graduates “and when we frustrated their plan by adopting online, fool-proof and transparent system of recruitment, they mobilized mercenary hack writers to attack and discredit the exercise”.

While it is trite to call on those who live on political conflict to give peace a chance, even as it is important to remind government that it has the capacity to, and ought to robustly resist those who do not want peace in the state. Imo people have no business living in fear. They can’t surrender to blackmail nor yield any inch of the state to enemies of progress.

As at January this year, over 200 vehicles equipped with high-tech gadgets were purchased and donated to the State Police Command. It is a thing of joy that the security arrangements in the state are being reviewed and reorganised to forestall the activities of criminals. Additional operational vehicles have been procured and distributed to the security agencies in the state. Similarly, the Federal Government has deployed special anti-terrorist squad to the state.

The South East governors have since decided that henceforth, all properties used to facilitate kidnapping will be forfeited to government and the certificate of occupancy revoked. Traditional rulers and town union executives ought to fish out the bad eggs and hand them over to the police. A law prescribing death penalty for kidnappers is in place in the state and Governor Ohakim has since warned that he will sign within 24 hours, any death warrant of anybody found guilty of the offence within 24 hours.

In the words of Governor Ohakim: “They will be held responsible for criminal acts in their communities and may lead to withdrawal of certificate of recognition in the case of traditional rulers and removal of town union presidents-general, in addition to prosecution”.

He said that leaders of market unions and motor parks must assist security agencies in fishing out criminals in their midst. Same applies to religious leaders, parents and guardians who were enjoined to step up their campaign against crime and criminals. They are to work out security strategies to protect their communities while government puts other measures in place.