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Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja who is the Chief of Army Staff has assured the people of the South East that insecurity ranging from kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities currently ravaging the region, especially Isiukwuato and Umunneochi local government areas of Abia State will soon be history.
Major-General Lagbaja gave this assurance on Thursday while speaking to the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee interfacing with the relevant security agencies to reduce kidnapping, assassinations and banditry in and around Isiukwuato and Umunneochi local government areas of Abia State.
He assured that all security agencies are working around the clock to address insecurity in the region.
The army chief was represented by the Deputy Director, Operations, Army Headquarters, Brigadier-General Gabriel Olufemi Echo.
Lagbaja stated that the threat of kidnapping remains a potent security threat, especially in the two local government areas, noting that, particularly in the month of July, this year, the region recorded cases of kidnapping and attacks by criminals suspected to be elements of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He noted that in these two local government areas the Nigeria police and other security agencies are also collaborating with the army, but due to certain challenges the bulk usually lies with the Nigerian army.
According to him: ‘The House of Representatives through its letter dated 3rd August 2023 requested that the Nigerian army submit a memorandum to the ad- hoc committee to interface with relevant security agencies and stockholders in respect of incessant attacks of kidnappers, assassination and banditry and other criminal elements in and around these two local government areas.
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‘Recently, efforts of the Nigerian army through its division in conjunction with other security agencies has diminished the threat of kidnapping.
The army chief again assured the committee that all efforts will be made to bring the perpetrators to book and restore peace to the region.
Speaking at the meeting, the Assistant Commandant General, NSCDC, Philip Ayuba, who represented the Commandant-General NSCDC, Abubakar Audi, said that part of the challenge the security agencies face in tackling the insecurity in the region is lack of cooperation from members of the community where the acts are been carried out.
Ayuba said, ‘I want to state that we are out in synergy with other security agencies and have been able to look around and found out that there is a very good number of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
‘We found that in that environment, almost everybody has a weapon and there is the willful disposition of many communities to purchase locally made arms and there is lack of this cooperation by the community where we are trying to get information from them when they go there for man hunting for them to volunteer information of who and who are involved in that criminal act.
‘To approach them even within themselves they are afraid of themselves.’
Earlier, at the hearing, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Obinna Aguocha, said the challenges faced are not mere statistics or headlines, they are real-life manifestations that affect the lives of our people, disrupt the functioning of institutions, and impede the growth of the affected region.
He noted that instances of criminal activities, banditry, kidnapping, assassinations, communal clashes, and threats to life have shaken the very foundation of the societies, adding that as leaders and stakeholders, it is incumbent upon them to come together, transcending differences, to find sustainable solutions that will quell these threats and pave the way for a brighter future.
