FG Drafts 600 MOPOL To Awka As Anambra Crime Rate Soars

The police authorities have deployed 600 mobile policemen in Anambra to beef up security, according to Mr Uzor Amakulor, the Commissioner of Police in the state.

He told newsmen  in Awka, that the deployment was part of measures taken by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo, to curb the high crime rate in the state.

Governor Peter Obi had earlier inspected the damage done by an 18-member robbery gang, which riddled the branches of five banks in Awka with bullets on August 24, before carting away huge sums of money.

He said he had every reason to link the spate of robbery and kidnap in the state with next year’s governorship election.

“Everybody knows that there is political undertone in the criminal activities in Anambra, because what is happening cannot be said to be robbery. The men simply shoot indiscriminately into the air to instil fear in people and just drove off,” he said.

The governor, who had earlier held a meeting with the staff of the affected banks, also said the robbers relied on information made available to them by insiders.

“From what we gathered at the meeting with the bank staff, the robbers carried out their operation based on information by an insider, because the robbers were heard mentioning the amount of money they intended to take,” he said.

Obi blamed the police for security lapses in the state, and urged police detectives to carry out a thorough investigation to detect the insider.

He promised to strengthen the state police command to combat insecurity in the area.

The Action Congress leader, Prince Tonye Princewill (right) chatting with former president of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Apostle Eugene Ogu, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, penultimate week.