The Rivers State Government, says it has beefed up security in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) to stem the incessant kidnap cases that have rocked the area in recent times.

Permanent Secretary, Government House, Mr Fortune Oguru gave the indication on Monday when protesting lecturers and students of the Federal College of Education Technical, Omoku marched down to Government House over the frequent abduction of lecturers in the school.

Mr Oguru while assuring the protesters of  government’s prompt action, said government was on top of the situation since the state valued security of its citizens above everything.

The Permanent Secretary further assured, ‘ what you are going through, we know, but give us sometimes, and we would act.

He lauded the protesting students and lecturers for their peaceful conduct during the protest, while urging them to go back and support the security agents in fishing out the hoodlums in the area.

Mr Oguru submitted that so far, the state government had spent huge sums in strengthening the security of the state in the acquisition of equipment and training of policemen, and therefore assured them that their plight would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities for quick action.

Earlier, leader of the protesters and chairman of the college’s chapter of Academic Staff Union, Comrade Chima Geofrey decried the incessant abduction of lecturers of the institution.

“Just Tuesday last week, one of our senior colleagues, Director of Degree Programme, was also kidnapped but was released yesterday”, Comrade Geofrey lamented.

So far, he stated that no fewer than nine lecturers were abducted by the kidnappers, while the whereabouts of one Dr Ihua Maduenyi kidnapped last year was yet to be unravelled.

The Academic Staff Union chairman lamented that “we are only left to our fate. The local government and security outfits cannot do anything to check the menace”.

Comrade Geofrey, therefore, demanded that the security outfit of the area be overhauled, while calling on the governor to draft more security personnel to the area.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Hon Raymond Nwokocha has called for calm over the incessant kidnapping in the area.

Hon Nwokocha while responding to allegations made by protesting staffers of Federal College of Education Technical, Omoku at Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday, explained that the council authorities had not rested on their oars over the security threat.

Said Nwokocha, ‘ we are not relenting in tackling the situation… the DPO and other security personnel have been tackling and arresting these hoodlums on a daily basis”.

The ONELGA chairman, while expressing sadness over the development, called on the residents of the area to support government’s efforts to check the malaise, stressing, ‘no human being has the right to tamper with the life of another human being”.

Meanwhile, the former Head of Service (HOS) in Rivers State, Mrs Esther Anucha, says the state government discovers 8,000 ghost workers in its service.

Anucha disclosed this in Port Harcourt on Monday at a send-forth ceremony organised in her honour by Etche indigenes in the state civil service.

She said she fought the ghost worker syndrome in the state civil service and reduced the work force from 54,000 to 46,000.

Anucha, who was the first female head of service in the state, said her administration was characterised by industrial peace and harmony.

She said she served the state wholeheartedly and meritoriously, saying “selfless service pays”.

Anucha said that she spare headed the building of the Public Service Institute (PSI) at Chokocho, in Etche Local Government Area of the state and also introduced inter-ministerial sports competitions.

According to her, she retired a fulfilled woman having laid a solid foundation for a vibrant state civil service, and advised Etche indigenes in the service to be good ambassadors of their community.

In his address, chairman of the organising committee, Mr Innocent Anyanwu said Anucha’s administration had brought many Etche indigenes into the state civil service.

Anyanwu said Anucha’s administration had also trained and retrained civil servants, and noted that training and retraining were very essential for success in every human endeavour.

He said that the retired Head of Service had worked hard and left a legacy of harmonious, robust and success-driven civil service and rewarded hard work in the state.

Anyanwu said that many Etche indigenes employed as cleaners, gardeners, security guards and messengers had retired on the same designation after serving for 35 years.

He said such development should be corrected in the state civil service.

Our correspondent  reports that Anucha retired in September, 2012.