Obiano Plans Drones To Track Kidnappers

The crackdown on
criminals in Anambra State has  entered a new phase as Governor Willie Obiano announced his readiness to deploy drones and a handful of other hi-tech surveillance equipment to smoke out criminals in the state from their hiding places for immediate arrest and prosecution.
The governor who spoke at the final test-running of the drones at the Governor’s Lodge, Awka, before their deployment to trouble-spots across the state also declared the resolve of his administration to sustain the campaign against kidnappers, armed robbers and other types of organised crime in the state until they were either driven out or clamped in jail after prosecution.
According to him, his decision to use hi-tech devices to track down criminals in the state marked the commencement of the second phase of the ongoing campaign, which relies heavily on sophisticated intelligence gathering and clinical insolation of the flashpoints of crime to ensure a comprehensive cleansing of the state of all criminals.
The governor who felt greatly buoyed by the overwhelming support he received from the indigenes of the state, resident in Abuja and the surrounding areas who collectively pooled almost N100m to support his crime-bursting campaign, vowed to sustain the pressure on criminal elements in the state until they had been reduced to a police-able proportion.
He maintained that with the financial donations and goodwill he had received from Ndi Anambra, he would re-invigorate Operation Kpochapu with a new technological edge that would boost its capacity to detect and prevent crime in the state.
He recalled that the recent rescue of a kidnap victim who was tracked all the way to Orlu in Imo State was a clear demonstration of the efficacy of technology in crime fighting.
Said he, “As soon as we got wind of the kidnap, we moved in and activated the devices. We monitored their movement to their hideout in Orlu, Imo State and waited until all the suspects were fully in before we picked them up.”
Since he came into office in March this year, Obiano has singled out the challenge of insecurity as a major focus of his administration and evolved a number of highly effective strategies that have put criminals on the run in Anambra State.

Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo, Anglican Bishop of the Diocese on the Niger (middle) and his wife, Dr Elsie (4th right),during his visit to Chapel of Restoration, Onitsha Prisons last Monday. With them are the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese on the Niger in Anambra State.