Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo has accused the opposition and aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of fueling the rising levels of insecurity in the southeast state.
The governor made the comment on Thursday when he inaugurated a security council at the grassroots level to proffer solutions to the state’s security challenges.
“The opposition party and some aggrieved members of our party who are hiring boys from neigbouring states to come in here, allow me, I will deal with them. I can assure you, leave that for me,” he said during the event.
“So, the people who threatened me that they will make Imo ungovernable before Imo becomes ungovernable, they will be ungovernable themselves.”
While calling on traditional rulers to help in the fight against insecurity, the Imo leader urged them to fish out criminals in their domains.
“I had advised that traditional rulers should warn these boys,” the governor added. “You should warn them because I am bringing a security strategy, known and unknown, to manage the security in Imo State.”
Governor Uzodinma told the security council to go beyond organising vigilante groups in the state to gathering intelligence.
“This council must now go home and get us the names of every criminal in their communities,” he said. “You must collect intelligence for us and security agencies to work.”
Tension has heightened in Imo State following series of attacks on security formations and killings in the southeast state.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Gulak was killed by gunmen on Sunday, becoming the latest high-profile casualty in the insecurity that has enveloped Imo State.
Members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) have been accused of masterminding the assaults but the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the troubles facing the area.
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had in the wake of the worsening security situation, asked Governor Uzodinma to resign, arguing that he (Uzodinma) has failed to secure the lives and property of the Imo people.
During a press conference on Thursday, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Charles Ugwu, said the call has become necessary because of an evident lack of the capacity of the ruling party to guarantee the safety and security of lives and property in Imo.
The PDP leader noted that emerging developments suggest that the governor has no answer to the spate of killings in the state.
