BY NONYELUM JULIET
Umuahia
Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has commended the Abia governor, Alex Otti, for launching ‘Operation Crush’, a joint security task force to tackle security challenges in the state.
COSEYL said the development was necessary to curb the spate of attacks in Abia and the southeast in total, adding that investment and business cannot succeed where insecurity ravages.
The group made this known on Thursday by its President, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, a day after Otti inaugurated the security operatives.
On Wednesday, the governor said, “We formally launched a special security operation codenamed ‘Operation Crush’ in response to our state’s security challenges. I had promised zero tolerance for criminality in Abia, and today marks the realization of that commitment.”
Reacting to Otti’s move, Ibem said, “The ‘Operation Crush’ launched by the governor to deal decisively with insecurity and threat to peace in the state is timely and a welcome development. Investment and business cannot thrive in an unsecured environment hence the urgent need to flush out criminals from the state. We support the move to secure the state by the governor.”
The COSEYL boss added, “We urge security agencies to use intelligent and modern technology to unravel the hidden hideout of criminals terrorizing the state. Aba is the commercial nerve center of South East and we cannot afford to harbour criminals that will chase away investors and businessmen and women from the state.”
He then called on the newly inaugurated security operatives to respect the human rights of the people they are billed to protect, as he said, “We expect the security agencies involved in the ‘Operation Crush’ to ensure that the fundamental human rights of citizens are not abused but should be respected.”
“The security agencies should do a thorough job to ensure that innocent people are not harassed or subjected to inhuman treatment. They should respect the sanctity of human lives while discharging their legitimate duties.
“We urge Abians to fully support the dynamic Governor of Abia State Dr Alex Otti by giving useful information to security agencies as the state governor takes God’s Own State to greater heights.”
