Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s war on kidnapping and other violent crimes has led to the setting up of two special courts dedicated to trying offenders of those crimes.
In addition, the state government has acquired communication gadgets and other equipments that would help law enforcement agencies in tracking perpetrators of the crimes.
Uduaghan and the State’s Chief Judge, Justice Zai-Laye Smith disclosed these on Tuesday when the latter led other judges on a courtesy call to the governor as part of activities marking the beginning of the 2012/2013 legal year.
The governor who was represented by his Deputy Prof. Amos Utuama (SAN) apologized to the judiciary over the kidnapping of one of them recently but informed that his administration was tackling the problem headlong.
Uduaghan added that, his administration worried by the spate of kidnapping had acquired equipment and gadgets that would enable security agencies to track perpetrators of the crime.
The governor commended the judiciary for acknowledging that it has “a role to play in dealing with insecurity and other criminal activities that endanger the security of our people. I’m happy that you have started implementing what we discussed.
“Talking of security, good governance cannot be enthroned in an atmosphere of insecurity. There cannot be peace without security. Unsecured environment breeds anarchy. Security is a public good that must be sold and be bought by government and the people respectively.
“It is in this regard that we have always asked for the decentralization of the police. In the ongoing constitutional review, Delta State had strongly asked for state police. We need state police that we can deploy…discipline.”
He reiterated the commitment of his administration towards ensuring that the judiciary remained independent and financially autonomous, explaining that the judiciary remained the bastion of democracy.
Smith, the Chief Judge had told the governor, “because of the insecurity we have generally, two courts have been set aside to operate in Asaba, to handle murder, armed robbery and kidnapping. These two courts will only deal with criminal matters.”
