1. Our dear brothers and sisters, It
is with heavy hearts that the state government received reports of the
unfortunate incident at Aba abattoir today. Initial information made available
to us indicate that the violence was sparked off by a soldier who killed a
meat-seller at the popular waterside abattoir located at the Ogbohill
area of Aba.
2. We condemn the dastardly
act that led to the untimely death of our brother, father and bread winner of
his family. Our hearts and prayers are with his family and friends in this
moment of pains and loss, even as we also commiserate with the traders at the
market and others who were affected by the ensuing crisis.
3. The solider who allegedly
perpetrated this act has been arrested and taken into custody. He will
surely face the full weight of the law.
4. We call on the good people of
Abia, especially those of us living and doing business at Aba, to remain claim.
We reassure all citizens and residents of the state that the government is doing
everything to protect lives and property of citizens as well as prevent further
disruption of peace.
5. The Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu,
has instructed the recently re-equipped security agencies in the state to
ensure watertight security around our borders and towns against any form of
attack.
6. He has also directed the men of
the Abia State Vigilante Services (AVS) to commence, with immediate effect, a
two week intensive training, for onward deployment to our communities to assist
in community policing under the supervision of the Commissioner of
Police.
7. All Traditional Rulers in
the state have been directed to submit names of 10 able-bodied youths from
their community to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs from Tuesday 10th to Wednesday 11th May 2016. These youths will be
enlisted into the Abia State Vigilante Services (AVS) to further boost
community policing in the state.
8. Law enforcement agencies have
been mandated to search and monitor all trucks and vehicles conveying
livestocks, food items and persons into the state from any part of the country
with a view to preventing inter-state movement of arms and terrorists. The law
enforcement agencies will also search and monitor markets and settlements where
livestocks and dealers are located, to ensure security.
9. The Governor of Abia State has
approved the constitution of a Farmers/Herdsmen Conflict Resolution Committee.
The Commissioner of Police will head the committee at the state level. Other
members of the committee are: The Brigade Commander, State Director of DSS,
State Commandant of the NSCDC, the Naval Commander, Special Adviser to the
Governor on Security, Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, State
Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Myati Allah cattle dealers
representative and Sarikin Hausawa.
10. The State Governor has also
directed the constitution of Farmers/Herdsmen Conflict Resolution Committees in
the 17 Local Government Areas of the state. The Local Government chairmen will
head the committees in their LGAs. Other members of the committees include;
Divisional Police Officers in the LGAs, Local Government NSCDC heads, the DSS
Local Government Chiefs, LGA Chairmen of Traditional Rulers Council and LGA
Heads of Hausa communities.
11. We wish to encourage our people
to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement or activities of strange
persons within our communities to the Traditional Rulers or call any of the
following Police Emergency Control phone numbers: 08079210003, 08079210004,
08079210005, 08035425405 for prompt deployment of a Rapid Response Unit formed
for the purpose of dealing with security alerts.
Signed
Godwin Adindu
Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor
Tags
Society