By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, on Saturday, launched a security initiative to tackle insecurity ravaging the State, with a pledge of ₦10m monthly to law enforcers in every Local Government Area (LGA) that would be free of violent crimes.
Soludo, while launching the security tagged Operation Udo Ga – Achi (Peace shall Prevail), also pledged to pay the sum of ₦5m to anyone or whistleblowers with useful information that would lead to arrest of kidnappers and other criminals.
He said he has signed into law the newly passed Anambra State Homeland Security Bill 2025 to legalise the new security initiative which according to him, would equally be driven by application of Artificial Intelligence, kinetic and non-kinetic action, among others.
"We plan to start paying monthly security support/grant to communities to augment their investment in security. The Mayors of respective local governments should also act urgently. We will work with the Commissioner of Police and DSS to identify the top 10 LGAs with history of violent crimes.
"As communicated to the DPOs and Area Commanders, we will pay a monthly bonus of N10 million for every month that any of these LGAs records zero violent crimes. For whistleblowers, anyone that gives us credible information that leads to the arrest of any kidnapper/armed robber or information that leads to rounding up of criminals in a camp will be paid a bounty of any amount up to a maximum of N5 million (depending on the class of criminal)," he clarified.
The governor also unveiled 200 vehicles for effective operation of the security outfit comprising 2,000 personnel such as the police, army, navy, civil defence, DSS, Agunechemba and other ‘special forces’.
"We have installed best-in class Tracking system; emplacing a command-and-Control system which enhances the use of voice, video and data in security management; deploying AI-powered surveillance cameras which we intend to cover most communities in Anambra; etc. Our State Call Centre is enabled, with the toll-free lines 5111 and 08002200008. Another platform run by the Nigerian Communication Commission has the call line 112 for emergency communication," he added.
"The State Agunechemba is a strong strike/intervention force that will be agile and mobile, underscoring that effective kinetic architecture will require a simultaneous interplay of bottom-up and top-bottom forces. In sum, Agunechemba assists/complements the federal security forces especially the police. But brute force will probably address about 50% of the challenges, as the first and necessary step.
"Meanwhile, our new Homeland Security law requires the forfeiture of any property used for manufacture, use or sale of hard drugs to the state government. I have signed a number of relevant laws that will facilitate prosecution of touts and drug dealers," the governor noted.
He, however, extended hand of friendship and amnesty to kidnappers, cultists, drug dealers and other categories of criminals to surrender themselves, with their weapons as his government would rehabilitate and empower them to become productive citizens.
Earlier, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono-Itam, who spoke on behalf of Security Commanders, extolled the state government for the initiative, assuring that they would work tirelessly to ensure that it objectives of safe and secured state was achieved.