Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, on Friday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the operation ‘Delta Safe’ to the state so as to tackle the increasing rate of kidnapping, militancy and cultism.
Ayade said this in Calabar after meeting with security chiefs on ways of tackling the challenges of insecurity in the state.
There have been increase in the cases of kidnapping, among other crimes in the state in the last few months and the latest, which happened on Thursday, was the abduction of a former senator, Patrick Ani, by gunmen from his farm yard in Akpabuyo Local Government Area.
But Ayade said following the scrapping of Operation Pulo Shield which was replaced with Operation Delta Safe, criminals in other states in the Niger-Delta region have relocated to Calabar and environs.
According to the governor, security reports showed that 47 suspects have been arrested in connection with the heinous crimes in parts of the state.
He assured the citizens that his administration would do everything possible to restore peace and stability in the state.
Ayade said, “We are sending a passionate appeal to President Buhari to help us extend the Operation Delta Safe to Cross River to help us fight militancy, kidnapping, cultism and other heinous crimes.
“In the last three months, some criminal elements have turned Cross River into a safe haven for kidnapping. We must fight them back; we are ready to flush them out of the state.
“We need urgent assistance from the Presidency, if not; Cross River will continue to be a safe haven for these criminals.
“We have arrested 47 suspects so far, and from investigations, all these suspects are from neighbouring states. Some of them have started confessing; we are on red alert to arrest more.
“Any government official we discover to be in connection with these criminals will be sacked and handed over to security agencies for prosecution.”
He disclosed that the government had supported the security agencies in the state with 30 operational vehicles to help strengthen security patrol within Calabar, the state capital.
“As the Governor of the state, I am assuring investors of their safety. Cross River is the most peaceful state in the country.
“With the support of security agencies in the state, we will ensure that residents and tourists go about their legal businesses without fear of kidnapping and intimidation.
“We have discovered all the nine routes of these kidnappers. The stop and search operation will be on the increase to curb this ugly trend of kidnapping in the state.
“Cross River is not a home for criminals. As a state, we must employ new tactics to chase these criminals away. I want to assure Cross Riverians, investors, tourists and others that their lives are safe in the state,” he said.
All Credits: PUNCH
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