Any building in Anambra where Mkpurummiri is produced will be demolished- Soludo
Tony Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma, has vowed that any building in the state where methamphetamine (mkpurummiri) is found to be produced will be demolished.
He said there was an ongoing amendment of the state laws to effect the new order.
The Governor stated this at the weekend at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia, while receiving the new General Officer( GOC) commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major General U.T. Musa.
While calling for an enhanced security partnership to get rid of criminals in the state, Soludo extended his condolences to the Nigerian Army on a recent attack by yet-to-be-identified gunmen which resulted in the death of some soldiers and a civilian at Umunze in the Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.
He said, “Anytime I hear that a law enforcement agent is killed, my heart bleeds. Unfortunately, in the homeland, there is actually an internal war ongoing, albeit a gorilla warfare. It is plain criminality and we will do anything within our power to contain this. We’ve tried to motivate even our vigilante to join in the business of securing the homeland because security is everybody’s business.”
The Governor further told the GOC to pay special attention on the Anambra-Imo boundary where incessant cases of banditry had been reported recently.
The governor added,”If you cordon off the boundaries between Anambra and Imo in a joint operation, you squeeze and take them out.”
Describing the activities of the criminals,Soludo said, “They are less than beasts. Someone who takes pleasure in killing somebody.I am victim. They came to where I was campaigning; they shot and killed people. I’ve seen it first hand. These are not human beings. For me, this is a war that we must win. Technically, the country is at war and we must fight with everything we’ve got ”
“The country is destined to be the biggest black power on earth and we cannot allow these few miscreants to prevail over our collective will. They are less than 0.01 percent of the population. We shall continue to prevail.
“Here in Anambra, I think the whole country is watching. The potentials are huge and working with you, I have no doubt in my mind that we’ve got strong partners. The security agencies we have in the state have been alive to their responsibilities”.
Earlier, Major General Musa appreciated the Governor for assisting the security agencies in the state, pointing out that the courtesy call was customary.
He said, “My duty is to ensure the security of everyone in the south eastern states. To ensure that everyone carry out their responsibilities. We are aware of the security situation in the region which is gradually improving. Security is everybody’s responsibility. My prayer is that the region should be calm.
“Cases of attack, pose new challenges. I assure you of the total commitment of the Nigerian Army. We discovered that Anambra and Imo are volatile; that gives us serious concern. The issue of agitation is there, but people capitalise on it to commit crime.”
The GOC called on the people to avail the security agencies information within their reach, adding ,”Without security, there won’t be development. Drug is a major contributor to crime.”
