Emelam Udo, Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has held the third General Security Council meeting with all the security agencies in the State since assumption of office barely five months now.
Although since Governor Otti assumed office on 29th May 2023, he has been been holding such meetings with Security Agencies in the state which culminated to his launching the “Operation Crush” following spate of kidnappings and other criminalities in the state particularly in Uturu and Umunneochi axis of the state.
During the launch,Governor Otti donated to all the Security Agencies in the state about 30 well equipped Hilux Jeeps to assist them in combating criminalities in the state.
The security meeting which Otti held with the various heads of all the Federal Government security agencies in the State may be a fallout of the recent face off between cattle dealers in Umuchieze Cattle market, in Umunneochi Local Government Area who were given notice by the State Government few weeks ago that the market would no longer be residential but a daily one which was allegedly misconstrued by the opposition to asking Northerners to leave the state.
This development led to a group in the known as Northern Consensus Movement consequently issued 14-day quit notice for People from the South-East living In the North to leave the area on or before the expiration of the Notice.
Consequently, Governor Otti convened a meeting at his Country home in Isialangwa South of the state with the group and leadership of the Lokpanta Cattle Market during which Otti explained to them that his decision to turn the market to daily one and not residential was for their own good and safety as Security reports indicated that perpetrators of all the criminalities within the axis were resident in the market.
After the necessary explanations, an understanding was reached by both parties during which Governor Otti pledged to rent accommodation for the indigent ones in the market.
During the meeting, the Group from North withdrew the quit notice which they earlier issued to Easterners in the North.
The security meeting was attended by the Army, Navy, Police and Department of State Security (DSS).
Others included: Heads of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Immigrations and Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) while top government functionaries led by the Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, were the Secretary to the State Government, Kenneth Kalu; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Caleb Ajagba; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna; Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Navy Commander Macdonald Uba (rtd.); and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Homeland Security, Chukwunenye Alajemba.
Also in attendance was the Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Linus Nto Mba
The meeting, according to the SA to the Governor on Security, reviewed the security situation in the state, especially with the approaching yuletide season.