By Anayo Okoli

Umuahia—WORRIED by the high level of insecurity in the country, especially in Abia and other South East states where kidnapping and other violent crimes have assumed a frightening dimension, Abia State government has called for the convening of a national security summit to x-ray the insecurity problem and seek a lasting solution to it.

Meanwhile, to beef up the security in the state, the government has approved the procurement of two modern Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and an Armoured SUV Lexus Jeep, valued at N397 million.

According to the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Anthony Agbazuere, there is great need for the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, to convene the security summit to seek a lasting solution to the security problems in the country, particularly in the South East.

“There is a very serious need for a security summit. The new Inspector-General of Police should, as a matter of urgency, call a security summit to discuss the security situation in the country, especially the menace of kidnapping in the South East,” the commissioner said.

He disclosed that the executive council of the state had approved the purchase of the two APCs and an armoured Lexus Jeep to beef up security in the state, saying the government was ready to invest more money to ensure the security of the people.

“The state does not mind the cost implications of the various security measures it was evolving to ensure that the state remains safe.

“Even if we have a billion naira, we will sink it into security just to ensure that life and property were secure in the state,” Agbazuere said.

The government has also appealed to striking workers of Abia State University, Uturu, to return to work in the interest of the students and education in the
state.

It said that it had enlarged its negotiating team to include some members of the cabinet, members of the House of Assembly Committee on Education as well as the Governing Council of the university and expressed hopes that the problem would soon be resolved.