By Nwanosike Onu, Awka and Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki
Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo yesterday said efforts to end the sit-at-home exercise in the Southeast were succeeding.
Speaking on Twitter Spaces, he said before his administration took off, the state was held hostage by criminal elements masquerading as pro-secessionist groups.
He said with the launch of his “See something, say something campaign” and the synergy with security agencies, his administration is winning the battle against criminality.
Soludo said: “When we assumed office on the 17th of March, about nine local government areas (LGAs) were no-go areas. Criminals seized them. People were being killed and kidnapped every day.
“We tackled it head on and today we have liberated about 70 to 80 percent of them. Those camps have been destroyed.
“Occasionally, remnants of them come out to cause trouble but we are getting better by the day.
“We are also dealing with agberoes (touts). Anambra is a place where youths flock from various parts of the country.
“Some of them get into the markets and parks and unleash mayhem on the people. We are unrelenting in fighting this and it is getting better.
“The Monday sit-at-home is virtually non-existent, especially in urban centres like Awka and environs.
“The occasional ones where they give week-long sit-at-home, nobody is obeying it anymore.”
The sit-at-home exercise was first declared in 2021 by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to demand the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, but it was later hijacked by criminals.
Soludo praised security agencies for their efforts in ridding the region of criminality.
The governor said his administration reduced what the previous administrations spent on office cleaning from N137 million monthly to just N11 million.
He blamed flooding in Onitsha on people building on waterways and blocking drainages through which water flows into the River Niger. (Nation)
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