“We will not surrender an inch of our territory to criminals”. Those were the words of Governor Alex Otti during the launch of the Abia State Joint Security Taskforce (Operation Crush)
To walk the talk, Governor Otti ordered security agencies to ensure that all criminals, especially kidnappers making life hellish for the people of Umunneochi and other parts of the state were brought to justice and that their criminal infrastructure and architecture would be destroyed.
Following the massive onslaught carried out by men of Operation Crush against kidnappers and other criminal elements at Lokponta in Umunneochi LGA of the state, the criminals, I mean those who managed to survive, fled the area, leaving behind traces of atrocity.
One of such is the tunnel captured in the attached picture here.
Information from security agents has it that this tunnel served as the most effective but hidden channel through which they dropped off their victims after collecting ransome, that’s if such a person was still alive.
The tunnel which was hidden is now visible because earth-moving equipment were deployed by the government to clear the place after the formidable criminal cartel succumbed to the superior fire power of the government-backed Operation Crush.
There have been exciting testimonies from the people of the area, especially those who returned home for Christmas which indicate that they celebrated their Christmas in peace.
While the people of Umunneochi are excited that their Governor stood up for them when they needed him most, the criminals who held them by the jugular have since gotten an unforgettable message from the Governor that the era of lips ervice is over, and that Abia cannot serve as an abode of comfort for criminals.
Ferdinand Ekeoma
21-01-2024.
