AWKA, Nigeria — The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Aderemi Adeoye, announced significant gains against insurgents during a press conference in Awka on Friday, September 8, 2023.
Five of the seven local government areas in the Anambra South Senatorial Zone are now free from the grip of insurgents, according to the Commissioner.
“We have reclaimed five local government areas, and we are working on liberating the remaining two,” Adeoye said.
He explained that the Command has adopted careful and methodical tactics to avoid collateral damage while combating what he described as “guerrilla warfare.”
“We make progress slowly. You gain grounds, you secure it. You reclaim occupied territory and you secure it and then go further,” he added.
Collaboration with Military
The Commissioner disclosed that Forward Operating Bases, FOB, have been established in what were considered ‘no-go-areas.’
The bases, located in Osumoghu, Ukpor, and Uli, are part of efforts to halt incursions from neighboring Imo State.
“Our police special forces are there, the army is there, and the anti-terrorist unit is also there,” he said.
Not Just a Fight Against Non-Indigenes
Adeoye clarified that the insurgency is not targeted solely at non-indigenes, as many assume. “95 percent of their victims are their own relatives,” he revealed. He urged travelers to use expressways to avoid running into insurgents.
Government’s Restraint and Warning to Insurgents
The Commissioner noted that the federal government has shown remarkable restraint in dealing with the insurgents.
“Up till now, we have not used airstrikes, because we are concerned about the safety of the people. We don’t want collateral damage,” Adeoye said.
However, he warned insurgents sternly, advising them not to test the federal government‘s patience.
“If their existence there will make life meaningless to innocent people, then the federal government would have been pushed to the wall to go all out and take them out,” he cautioned.
This statement comes as residents yearn for stability and the return of normalcy in a region troubled by insurgency.
The Anambra State Police Command’s efforts signal a potentially pivotal moment in the state’s fight against terror and kidnapping.
