The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has remained resolute in his determination to free the state from violent criminals as three more buildings used by kidnappers as “warehouses” for their victims went up in a plume of dust and debris in the quite town of Nando in Anambra East Local Government Area on Friday.
The villagers turned up in their numbers to watch the spectacle as one the buildings, a six-room bungalow, which belonged to Emeka Eze, alias Emeka Nando who was believed to be the brain behind the kidnap of road transport mogul, Chief G.U.O Okeke and many other high profile kidnap cases came down in a rubble at Ubarisioye Nando.
Mr. Hassan Karma, the new Commissioner of Police in Anambra who led the demolition squad explained that the suspect, Emeka Eze who was fingered for many high profile kidnappings in the state was later arrested by the police while in possession of a machine gun, three AK47 Riffles, rocket launchers and five fifty-liter cans filled with assorted arms and ammunitions.
According to him, the suspect was promptly charged to court where he was subsequently granted bail and then he fled to Lagos where he continued his criminal lifestyle until he went down in hail of bullets in a gun duel with the police.
The demolition squad also pulled down a story-building at Akamanato Nando which belonged to deceased Mr. Daniel Nwabia but was used by his son and a kidnap gang member known as Nnamdi to hide kidnap victims. The suspect also died in a gun battle with the police in Lagos.
Another storey building also came down in a pile of sand and dust at Abube-Uno, Nando, which belonged to late Ofomaiji but was later converted into a holding cell for kidnap victims by his son, Osinwa, a suspected kidnapper who is still on the lam.
Police Commissioner Karma explained that the destroyed buildings had been repeatedly used for various criminal activities, pointing out that in line with the laws of Anambra State, the Certificate of Occupancy of the three buildings had also been revoked.
Commissioner Karma urged Nigerian youths to stay away from crime and seek legitimate sources of livelihood as the government was determined to stamp out criminals from Anambra State.
Reacting to the demolitions, the governor Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano declared that the state was steadily winning the war against criminals. He recalled that in the last ten days, seven notorious criminal suspects were rounded up by the gallant officers of Operation Kpochapu who chased them until they were arrested outside the state while one kidnap attempt in Abia State was foiled.
He also revealed that all the infrastructure that support criminals in the state were gradually being wiped out as the battle has left the cities for the villages and hamlets where the remnants of the criminal elements were alleged to have fled to.
Chief Obiano declared Anambra as a safe and secure place for investment as nightlife has returned to the cities, beckoning on investors to explore the huge opportunities in investing in Anambra State.
