The member representing Igboeze South Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Harrison Ogara, has raised alarm over the surge in kidnapping incidents in his constituency, blaming the crisis on inadequate security personnel.
In a statement issued in Enugu yesterday, the Labour Party lawmaker disclosed that only nine policemen are available to protect over 500,000 residents of Igbo-Eze South Local Council.
Ogara’s concerns followed an alleged kidnapping of eight individuals, including a newly ordained Reverend Sister, at Eburumiri Ibagwa Aka in the local council. He lamented that the insecurity was restricting the movement of his constituents.
“The most painful aspect of the story is that a young person hiding in the bush to evade the kidnappers was killed by a stray bullet fired by the criminals as they escaped,” Ogara said.
He criticised the lack of resources for the police to address the crisis, revealing that out of the 32 officers assigned to the divisional police station in Ibagwa Aka, 16 are attached to VIPs, while seven are unfit for duty due to various ailments. This, he noted, leaves only nine officers to secure the entire council area.
“This is absolutely preposterous when you consider that Igbo-Eze South Local Council lies at the border between Enugu and Kogi states,” he added.
Ogara also expressed concerns that some locals might be colluding with the bandits, further complicating efforts to combat crime in the area.
He called on the Enugu State Police Command to deploy more personnel and logistics to support the divisional police officer and his team in tracking down the criminals.
“In the meantime, I empathise and commiserate with the affected families while assuring them that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with these criminals,” Ogara said.
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