Enugu, Anambra police commands ally to fight insecurity in South-east

The police in Anambra State say they have allied with their counterpart in Enugu State to fight growing insecurity in the two South-eastern states.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the state Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu and his Enugu State counterpart, Bitrus Giwa, formed the alliance when the two police chiefs met on Monday.

The spokesperson said the police chiefs discovered that “infiltration of criminals” between Enugu and Anambra was a major security challenge in the South-east which requires urgent intervention.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

“As a result, they (the two police commissioners) pledged to collaborate, share intelligence, and pool operational resources to combat violent crimes at the borders and within their respective states,” he said.

READ ALSO: Officer killed as gunmen attack two police facilities in South-east, free inmates

Mr Ikenga said the meeting, which was held at the Anambra State Command Headquarters, afforded the police chiefs an opportunity to devise operational strategies to proactively police the two neighbouring states.

“The commissioners reiterated their commitment to decisively combat all forms of crime and criminality in both states, with the aim of ensuring maximum public security and safety,” he said.

“They also warned criminals operating in the two states to either repent or be ready to face the full weight of the law.”

Increased attacks

Anambra and Enugu are among the states in Nigeria’s South-east which have witnessed increased attacks by armed persons in recent years.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.

However, the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.