Governor of Anambra State Chukwuma Soludo has revealed that his administration has razed more than 62 criminal hideouts across the state, boosting security in what he calls one of Nigeria’s safest regions.
Speaking after a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor highlighted the South East’s massive losses from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)-enforced Monday sit-at-home orders over Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s detention.
He noted that businesses and investments that had fled the zone have begun to return, with over 45,000 shops at Onitsha Main Market reopening last Monday amid booming trade and trader celebrations.
To combat crime, Soludo said the state launched the Agunechemba vigilante outfit alongside anti-cult and anti-touting units, all operating seamlessly.
“When I assumed office, so far since I came into office, about 62 criminal camps have been dismantled in Anambra, and we’re not resting for one second. In Anambra, we pride ourselves on being the safest — if not, modestly, one of the safest — states in the country, and security is key.
“Last Christmas, everybody all over the state—it was as if we had a mass return, with heavy traffic all over the place. And that’s a celebration of the return of security of lives and property in the region.”
Soludo dismissed suggestions that security drove his presidential visit. “No, not at all. We had quite several other things to discuss. I haven’t come to discuss security. Security, we’re dealing with — that’s our routine function.”
On the fate of those in the dismantled camps, he said: “I don’t want to tell you the details of what happened to them.
“The important thing is that the 62 camps have been decimated, and they’re not there anymore — anywhere. We get on there and deal with them decisively. We can’t allow criminality to dominate our place.
“And even more recently, these criminals have held the South East region hostage for more than five years.
“Every Monday, there was a criminal, very debilitating, destructive Monday sit-at-home. Schools — aside from the capital cities in the five Southeast states—had no sit-at-home on Monday, but the rest of the places were mostly under lock and key.
“This can’t continue, and we decided that this year must be the end. Enough is enough, and I’m happy that so far we’ve taken back our region; we’ve taken back our state.”
Quantifying the sit-at-home’s toll, Soludo called it “humongous” across social, economic and political fronts.
He added: “Well, there are several numbers people cite depending on where they come from and how they calculate their nebulous figures. The little I can tell you is that each day, you can imagine if you look at the economic size of the South East, and you have 365 days in a year.”
