THE Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has donated 20 special utility vans (SUVs) to security agencies in the state as he launched Operation Crush, a move to eradicate the reign of violent criminals in Abia.
On Tuesday at the Okpara Square in Umuahia, Otti vowed that no part of the state would be controlled by criminals, as he handed over the vehicles to various security agencies, including the military and police.
He noted that Operation Crush will be a joint task force of police, army, navy and other security agencies, and tasked the agencies to identify and flush out criminals threatening the peace of the state.
Warning that any person found harbouring criminals would be arrested and prosecuted, the governor said that Operation Crush should respond to calls from any part of the state.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Security, retired Commodore Macdonald Uba, said the initiative was aimed at crushing criminality in Abia.
He pointed out that the recent spate of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent criminal activities in different parts of Abia propelled the government’s response.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ken Onwuemelie, who received the vans on behalf of security agencies praised Otti and promised that the agencies will deploy the vans in combating crime in the state.
He noted that the government’s action just added another boost to the protection of lives and property and the war against crime.
