The Anambra State Government is set to confront criminals terrorising residents of Anambra State, an official has said.
Anambra, like other states in the South-east, has witnessed attacks by armed persons in recent times.
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From killings to abductions, the deadly attacks appeared to have worsened in the South-eastern state lately.
However, in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday evening, the Commissioner of Information in Anambra State, Law Mefor, said the state government has now developed some strategies to confront the criminals.
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Mr Mefor said the government first enacted Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025 to tackle the enablers of insecurity in the state.
The commissioner explained that part of what the law is set out to achieve is to criminalise the use of anti-bullet charms and rituals in Anambra State.
He said the move followed the government’s observation that many criminals who were gunned down by security operatives often wore charms for their criminal operations.
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“When you hear ‘Odeshi,’ it means traditional bulletproof. Then, ‘Oke-Ite’ is what the Igbos call a money ritual.
“So, if you notice, when security operatives kill some of these boys, they usually wore all manners of amulets (charm). These are things they believe will protect them so that bullets will not penetrate them,” he said.
“It (charm) gives them false confidence to do anything they like. They attack soldiers and kill naval officers, air force officers, police, and vigilantes. They kill everybody.”
‘We’re fully out’
Mr Mefor boasted that the Anambra State Government “is now fully out” to fight the attackers with the new law and strategies in place.
“We have all it takes now. We have installed tracking systems. We have a Command and Control Centre driven by Artificial Intelligence,” he said.
The commissioner said the government has also invested in CCTV cameras to track down criminals in the state.
“Major areas in Anambra State have CCTV cameras mounted now in secret places that people will not suspect.
“So, we are picking information from everywhere. Every suspicious movement, we are analysing it and making very good use of it,” Mr Mefor said.
The commissioner added that the call centre number, 511, issued by the government, was already being used by residents to send security signals for action.
He assured that the identities of residents who make use of the call centre number to alert security operatives will always be protected.
“We need to ensure their confidentiality to keep the information flowing,” he said.
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