Abia State Government's Whistle Blowing Policy: A Welcome Development, But... - Ferdinand Ekeoma
Posted by Factnews | 7 years ago | 2,475 times
The recent pronouncement by the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu that his government would reward to the tune of One Million Naira, any person that supplies information that leads to the capture of a kidnapper or kidnappers is indeed a welcome development.
Beyond the fact that the announcement has finally confirmed the acceptability of the government that the horrible kidnapping stories told almost on a minute basis in Abia, is after all an undisputed fact, the government's pronouncement would not only spure Abians to action in exposing the criminals making life hellish in Abia, but would serve the desired quit notice to the rampaging criminals who must have realized that it's now going to be a collective fight of the people against them, with strong support of the government.
It's also good that the government extended the monetary reward policy to security agents, this would also motivate them the more in ensuring they redouble effort in tracking kidnappers where ever they might be hiding.
It must be fairly stated that Abia State is not the only state suffering the onslaughts of kidnappers, as this anti human scourge is presently sweeping across the length and breadth of the nation, but Abia is certainly one of the few states where kidnapping has assumed an alarming dimension, hence the need for the government to go beyond this Whistle Blowing Policy, and look for more realistic but sustainable strategies in ensuring that the activities of kidnappers are permanently nipped in the bud, and one of such strategies include but not limited to;
1. Getting Rid Of The Army Of Miscreants Masquerading As Government Revenue Agents.
It does incalculable economic and security harm for government to allow Abia, especially Aba to remain a migration destination and a breeding ground for all classes of hoodlums and criminals who on arrival in Aba (Main Park), select the so called Pit controlled by one dishonorable character parading himself as an Honorable (Government Ally) and take off as Revenue Agents or Motor Park Touts, bringing daily returns to the beer drinking lazy "Honorable " before metamorphosing into dangerous criminals in the future . If government streamlines and sanitizes it's mode of revenue collection in a way it would be taken away from touts, the government would have succeeded in discouraging those unskilled and unproductive individuals who think that Aba is a dumping ground for societal deviants and misfits, while also blocking all the avenues through which government revenues are plundered.
2. The Traditional Institution Mechanism.
At this point, I think the harmful balcarnization of our traditional institutions might after all serve some positive purposes in tackling the activities of kidnappers this time around. Since our Autonomy Communities have become smaller, it would make sense if the government can liase with our Royal Fathers in using community leaders and youths in checkmating kidnappers within their domains.
3. Regular Onslaughts On Criminal Hideouts.
The truth remains that Kidnappers don't keep their victims in the moon, rather in bushes not far from residential areas, hence the need for the government to liase with security agents in identifying these hideouts, especially neighboring villages that surround Aba, which are usually the end destinations for for kidnappers and their hostages.
The government also needs to step up a well packaged anti kidnapping publicity that reminds both urban and rural dwellers whose villages and property might be serving as safe haven for kidnappers of the dire consequences that await them should they be caught.
Some people have questioned the publicity given to the recent demolition of a property that serverd as Kidnappers hideout in Ugwunagbo by the State government, I think such an objection is ridiculous and amounts to trivialization of a very sensitive issue. Abia is not the only state where such demolition has been publicized, and I think such publicity is very necessary so that the public, including Kidnappers, Would-be Kidnappers and their accomplices would know the consequences that await them when identified.
4. Overhaul Of The Internal Security Mechanism Of Aba.
Any one who has taken time to gather facts about the kidnapping cases happening in Aba and the methodology of the criminals would agree that the criminals have developed such an audacity that has exposed the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of security agents there while the lives of the residents are consistently exposed to danger.
The fact that most of the kidnapping cases happening in Aba these days are committed at the heart of the town, and in broad daylight by criminals who most times drive audaciously into the city in open-room SUVs in a manner remniniscent of the Anini armed robbery era, shows that, it's either there is a compromise from amongst the security agents or that they have consciously abandoned their duties; which ever one, the state government needs to work out a robust strategy, probably in collaboration with the military, the IG Special Squad that is presently doing excellent job against all manner of criminals, and in addition, a retrained, reorganized, reequipped and re-oriented Abia Vilante group that should do more of undercover operations aimed at identifying and busting kidnapping and other criminal rings in any part of Abia.
5. Efficient Information Management/Synchronized Security Team.
Finally, the whistle blowing policy of the government can hardly achieve the desired result if the government does not work out a system that would ensure that what ever anti kidnapping information supplied by the people is handled with utmost professional secrecy, and to achieve this, government must make sure that information gathering is not directly and independently handled by security agents, rather by a selected security team set up by the State government, and whose identities must not be made public.
Also in rewarding government informants, government must be conscious of the incurable negative implications of mismanaging the identity of a single informant, it would certainly bring the lofty policy to a disastrous end, as would-be informants would definitely back out fearing for their lives.
This is why government must go for agents who cannot compromise on the basis of Political party affiliation, sectionalism/clannishnes, religion etc
Sanitizing Abia is our collective duty, report a Kidnapper/Armed Robber today and save a precious life that might be yours.
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