Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has revealed that his administration is tackling insecurity at its roots by identifying and removing those influencing young people to commit crimes.
The governor noted that certain individuals, including self-proclaimed pastors and native doctors, have been misleading the youth with false promises of wealth, pushing them into fraudulent activities and violent crimes.
Soludo made these remarks while receiving a Good Governance Award from the management of Vanguard Media Limited at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia. He acknowledged that when he assumed office nearly three years ago, seven local government areas in Anambra South were under the control of non-state actors. While the security challenges are not entirely solved, he expressed confidence that the state’s new strategy would restore peace sooner rather than later.
To strengthen security efforts, the Anambra State government recently enacted the Homeland Security Law, leading to the establishment of the ‘Udo ga achi’ security outfit, with Agunechemba as its operational unit. Since its launch, operatives have been actively working across the state, arresting individuals accused of deceiving young people into crime under the pretense of spiritual guidance. These suspects, Soludo noted, have been using religion and traditional practices to exploit vulnerable youths seeking quick wealth.
Speaking at the award ceremony, the governor stated: “We have decided to take security issue at the foundation level. It’s not just about chasing the criminals, it’s about getting to the roots. There are practices in the system that have continued to brew them and so, we decided to get to the root and start uprooting them. I am quite fascinated about how our efforts are being received.
“Many of our women are lamenting that they trained their children, but they have basically lost them. They are now saying that they are beginning to have some hope and I know that this crusade is not a push button. In the coming decades, it will be appreciated that this generation imbibed certain attitudes.”
He added: “As Igbos, our values are rooted in enterprise, hard work and integrity. Unfortunately, there is this new religion that promises people a crown with no cross and that all you need is to bring money to the pastor and God will be a money doubler, but God wouldn’t double for him. He needs your own money for God to bless you. They tell our people that when they are sick, they should come and they will pray for them. They bring anointing oil which you pay for and handkerchief, but when they are sick, they fly abroad.
“You are going to bring people to Okite ( a prosperous medicine box) and they become rich, but he hasn’t made himself rich. He depends on the thanksgiving you make for him to feed. His brothers and relations are all retched, but he is deceiving gullible people that they can become rich through him.
“I understand that one of the children of one of the native doctors we arrested is working in one hotel in Imo state as a waiter. And this is the man making Okite for people to become rich, but he can’t make his child rich. The unfortunate thing is that because of their actions, thousands of our youths are languishing in jail all over the world.
“They made Okite for these youths with the promise that they will pass security checkpoints with hard drugs and the machines won’t detect them and when they pass, the machines will catch them and they are in jail all over the world. And when they can’t get that, they go into yahoo yahoo. And because that one had failed, they went into the bush and became kidnappers to make easy money because they were promised that they don’t need to sweat.”
