By JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT-As Christians prepare for the Christmas celebration, Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State has reassured his people of his administration’s readiness to clamp down on armed robbers and put an end to the recent surge in criminality in the state capital, Port Harcourt and environs.

Towards this end, Amaechi  said the state government is to deploy soldiers to assist the police in stemming the rising tide of armed robbery in the state.
Governor Amaechi said this yesterday at a thanksgiving service organised for him and a Justice of the Supreme Court, Mrs Mary Odili by the Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt.

According to the Governor, the soldiers would work with the police on the streets of Port Harcourt to flush out robbers and other criminals.

He assured that the government would make the state safe for the people of the state, as it had become clear that the police needed some level of support from the Army to wage war against armed robbers in the state.

No fewer than 25 police men had been killed by robbers in the state at different operations from June this year till date.
He said: “If we could fight the militants, why can’t we fight armed robbers? We will put the Army on the streets until the armed robbers run away.

“We are tired of pleading with armed robbers to return their guns to the police. We will put the Army on the streets because we believe that the police need support.

“I will plead with those whose children are robbers to tell their children to stop armed robbery.

“The story making the round now is that there is a woman leading a gang of three; we will arrest her. For us as a state government, that will be our new year gift to our people, that woman and her gang will be arrested and prosecuted,” he assured.

Speaking on road projects, Amaechi said government would take advantage of the dry season to complete ongoing ones in the state.

“I hear your complaints, and I know you are angry about roads. For the Ada Geoge road, it will be completed; the contractor is slow, he gave us March, let us be patient, the only thing I will assure you of is that rainy season will not meet us on that road again. Another road you people complain of, is the Rumuepirikom road, it is been worked on,” he added.

Amaechi however, called on the church to partner with government for national and state development.

“Let the church continue to be a holy church and a conscience to the society and the nation, the church should call public  servants and our leaders to account for their roles in our lives.

“Let the church pray that the numerous projects that we started will be completed and pray for us so that God will give us wisdom to continue from where we have stopped in our first term for the benefit of the people.” he said.