Imo State government has declined naming the sponsors of criminality and cannibalism in the state at the 6th edition of Stakeholders Meeting, after promising to do so few weeks ago.
State Governor, Hope Uzodinma while addressing the stakeholders at the Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers in the Government house, stated that his eventual decision to withhold the names of crime sponsors was based on the need to preserve the efforts of security agents in combatting crime and avoid sparking up any further controversies that will undermine the security endeavors in Imo.
He stated that after announcing his plans of calling out the names, the issue had been politicized by most individuals, hence, hoarding the names will aid in quelling the situation and allowing the police “do their good work”.
Uzodinma said “You will recall that as a government we have consistently maintained that some of the breaches were politically motivated. This was based on intelligence at our disposure… If you recall that few weeks ago I assured you that my administration will name those behind insecurity during the stakeholders meeting.
I want to tell you, after that statement the whole issue has been politicized… and I don’t want to spoil the good work the security agents are doing already. I want to crave your indulgence to finish their investigations, arrest those that are responsible and charge them to court”, he added.
Recall that Imolites had high expectations after the state government had disclosed through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, that the government had in their possession names of individuals with involvement in the recent menacing activities in the state.
This followed after a spike of insecurity challenges in the state, and the arrest of some individuals who were alleged to have carried out heinous crimes on their victims.
(Report by Lilian Duru-Valentine)
