Improved Security In Rivers Excites Expert

A security expert, Jackson Lekan-Ojo, has said that Rivers State is a safe place, attributing the improved security situation to the synergy between the State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike and heads of security agencies in the state.
Lekan-Ojo, who is a Certified Golden Member, International Security Association (ISA), Switzerland made the observation during an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Monday.
He recalled that some people were considering relocating from the state due to repeated incidents of killings, armed robbery, kidnapping and petty stealing, saying sometimes three serious crimes took place in one day, but expressed happiness that crimes have drastically reduced; pointing out that the state is now 90 per cent secured.
“To be candid the security situation in Rivers State has improved tremendously and fast. I remember a particular time it was pathetic to the extent that some people were trying to relocate from the state because kidnapping, killings, armed robbery and petty stealing were rampant.
“But these crimes have dropped drastically when compared with what was happening then. Things are really getting better. As it is now, one can safely say the state is now 90 per cent secured because crimes I mentioned have subsided greatly. You can hardly record any incident presently in a week unlike what happened in the times past when you had two to three incidents daily.
“So I can rate the state high now on security. I think Rivers State is a safe territory now,” Lekan-Ojo declared, pointing out that the governor alone should not be given the credit for the peaceful atmosphere that now reigns in the crude oil and gas rich state.
“I would not want to say it is solely the effort of the governor; but there is no way you can talk about security in any state that you will not mention the governor because he is the chief security officer of the state.
“I think he (Governor Wike) works in synergy with the security forces; the Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Civil Defence. These agencies are independent but they are working in synergy with the governor.
“These outfits are not actually reporting to the governor of Rivers state, but he (the governor) is primarily responsible.
“They are cooperating with him. “If the governor decides to sabotage the work or efforts of the security forces, there is nothing they can do. So I want to applaud both the governor and the heads of the security forces in the state,” he said.
The security expert also called on the governor and the security forces not to rest on their oars or revel on the successes recorded so far in terms of restoring peace, as pockets of crimes still exist here and there, urging them to soldier on, until “may be 99 per cent success has been achieved”.
Lekan-Ojo further said the hosting of national and international events, including high profile conferences, meetings and sports in the last couple of years without hitches are eloquent testimonies that things have greatly improved in the state and that Rivers was now a destination of choice for tourism and investment.