ACTING Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali has launched special operation, codenamed Operation Restore Peace (Operation RP) at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu to check insecurity in the zone.
At the launch of the special operation on Tuesday, Alkali charged the police to be ruthless with criminals.
“You are charged to be civil with the law-abiding citizens, but firm and ruthless with criminal elements and secessionists that may attempt to take the risk of testing your will or threatening the citizens within your area of jurisdiction.
“In furtherance to the goals of this special operation, I charge you to henceforth, defend yourselves courageously against any armed group that attempts to attack you, any police assets, and other critical national infrastructure.
“First, to stabilise the security order in the Southeast in the shortest possible time. Second, to be professional in your conduct as you strive to attain this objective.
“The zone in recent years has been witnessing increasing cases of kidnapping, armed robbery and communal violence.
“This trend has of late been laced with inter-ethnic intolerance and separatist agitation as championed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
“The separatist agenda of this group has assumed an armed dimension in which important political and community leaders, as well as personnel and assets of the Nigeria Police, military and other security agencies, are being constantly targeted in clearly well-coordinated, premeditated violent attacks in the region.
“Aside from this, the deepening inter-ethnic prejudice and intolerance in the region are also occasioning unjustifiable inter-ethnic violence and counter-violence.
“Apart from the massive loss of property and fatalities to lives, the violent campaigns are beginning to have a damaging effect on the socio-economic development of the region.
“This trend is being compounded by the illegal proliferation of firearms as well as the deployment of the social media by the leadership of IPOB to indoctrinate, misinform, and misdirect Southeasterners towards the path of violent separatism.
“This evolving trend constitutes a major threat to our nation’s internal security and national unity and, hence, requires urgent sets of all-inclusive actions to roll back the disastrous tide.
“We should as a people, be determined to build a consensus, partner in condemning any act of criminality and resolve to work with the police and other security agencies towards identifying, isolating and bringing the criminal elements within our communities to deserved justice.
“There must come a time in the life of a nation when we, as a people, must strengthen our will, and resolve to mobilise and deploy all our assets towards confronting these criminal elements, take the battle to their doorsteps, and make a clear statement that the few deviants within us cannot and will not re-order our cherished national values. The time is now.
“Today’s launch of ‘Operation RP’ by the Nigeria Police is aimed at this direction and it follows the directives of Mr President to the Nigeria Police to re-evaluate and emplace new operational strategies to stem the tide of violence and secessionist agenda not only in the Southeast but across the country.
“As the lead agency in the internal security framework of this country, the Nigeria Police under the current dispensation acknowledges that the duty of securing the lives and property of the citizens is its primary mandate.
“The launch of ‘Operation RP’ in Enugu today is the first in the line of our strategic Action Plan to restore peace across the country and in the coming days, the special operation will be extended to other parts of the country to address peculiar crimes including banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery in other geopolitical Zones.
“It is to be emphasised that ‘Operation RP’ will cover all the states within the Southeast geopolitical zone. I am confident that with the support of all strategic stakeholders, the operation will in due course, change the current security narratives in the Zone for good,” the acting IG said.
Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, at the event, said, “We have institutionalised functional collaboration between our neighbourhood watch groups, forest guards and security agencies, especially in the area of intelligence sharing.
“Enugu State Security Trust Fund Law is in place to ensure sustainable funding for security agencies in our state. The deployment of our Automated Drone Surveillance Solution to give the needed impetus to our security surveillance is underway.
“We have not rested on our oars in providing a safe and secure environment for residents to live, work and enjoy life.”
