The Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday revealed that his administration has dismantled over 62 criminal camps across the state.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the governor also highlighted the economic impact of the sit-at-home order enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra in response to the incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
According to him, many businesses and investments were diverted outside the Southeast as a result.
“However, with the cessation of the sit-at-home, over 45,000 shops reopened on Monday at Onitsha Main Market, with business activities at their peak and traders in jubilation,” he said.
Governor Soludo explained that to tackle criminality and enhance security, his administration established several groups, including the vigilante outfit Agunechemba, an anti-cult group, and an anti-touting body, which operate in collaboration and have proven effective.
“When I assumed office, so far since I came into office, about 62 criminal camps have been dismantled in Anambra, and we’re not resting for one second. In Anambra, we pride ourselves on being the safest, if not, modestly, one of the safest, states in the country, and security is key,” he said.
The governor described the Christmas period as a reflection of the improved security situation, noting: “Last Christmas, everybody all over the state, it was as if we had a mass return, with heavy traffic all over the place. And that’s a celebration of the return of security of lives and property in the region.”
Asked whether security matters prompted his visit to the president, Soludo clarified, “No, not at all. We had quite several other things to discuss. I haven’t come to discuss security. Security, we’re dealing with, that’s our routine function.”
When questioned about the fate of those behind the 62 criminal camps, the governor said “I don’t want to tell you the details of what happened to them. The important thing is that the 62 camps have been decimated, and they’re not there anymore, anywhere. We get on there and deal with them decisively. We can’t allow criminality to dominate our place.”
Soludo further addressed the Monday sit-at-home, which had held the Southeast hostage for over five years, stating, “Every Monday, there was a criminal, very debilitating, destructive Monday sit-at-home. Schools — aside from the capital cities in the five Southeast states — had no sit-at-home on Monday, but the rest of the places were mostly under lock and key. This can’t continue, and we decided that this year must be the end. Enough is enough, and I’m happy that so far we’ve taken back our region; we’ve taken back our state.”
Regarding the financial impact of the sit-at-home orders, the governor described it as significant, “Well, there are several numbers people cite depending on where they come from and how they calculate their nebulous figures. The little I can tell you is that each day, you can imagine if you look at the economic size of the Southeast, and you have 365 days in a year.
“How many Mondays? How many weeks do you have, 52? And 52 days out of the 365, excluding weekends and Sundays, which are obviously work-free. Then you calculate the rest of it. Quite frankly, if you’re thinking in terms of those informal services that work Monday through Saturday, every Monday lost is about 20 percent of the work week.
“Twenty percent, schools shut down on Mondays. That’s 20 percent lost. You can calculate that: if in a year you lose 20 percent, if you cascade that through the economic front, you’re not just losing income at 20 percent, but you’re also losing opportunities for growth, because some other people are going to divert their businesses and investments elsewhere, because you are not open for business.
“And so you can compound the costs in various ways, socially, economically, politically, not just now, but also in the future. Therefore, for us, it’s something that just can’t go on if we value the future of our people. And I think now that they are open,the Main Market, more than 45,000 shops.
“You can imagine the largest market in West Africa getting shut one day a week. Just quantify that. And now that they are open, I went there on Monday last week. If you saw the joy of the people, tens of thousands of people there chanting and rejoicing that a new dawn is here this year. And this last Monday, they trooped out again in tens of thousands. In fact, when I went there, there were over 100,000 people; you couldn’t find space to even put your feet. We’re going to regenerate the Main Market; we’re going to regenerate it because it’s been run down so badly.
“All the parking lots there, they took them over and built shops all over the places. We’re going to breathe life back into it again and restore its pride of place as the premier market in West Africa.”
Over 62 criminal camps dismantled in Anambra – Soludo
The Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday revealed that his administration has dismantled over 62 criminal camps across the state.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the governor also highlighted the economic impact of the sit-at-home order enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra in response to the incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
According to him, many businesses and investments were diverted outside the Southeast as a result.
“However, with the cessation of the sit-at-home, over 45,000 shops reopened on Monday at Onitsha Main Market, with business activities at their peak and traders in jubilation,” he said.
Governor Soludo explained that to tackle criminality and enhance security, his administration established several groups, including the vigilante outfit Agunechemba, an anti-cult group, and an anti-touting body, which operate in collaboration and have proven effective.
“When I assumed office, so far since I came into office, about 62 criminal camps have been dismantled in Anambra, and we’re not resting for one second. In Anambra, we pride ourselves on being the safest, if not, modestly, one of the safest, states in the country, and security is key,” he said.
The governor described the Christmas period as a reflection of the improved security situation, noting: “Last Christmas, everybody all over the state, it was as if we had a mass return, with heavy traffic all over the place. And that’s a celebration of the return of security of lives and property in the region.”
Asked whether security matters prompted his visit to the president, Soludo clarified, “No, not at all. We had quite several other things to discuss. I haven’t come to discuss security. Security, we’re dealing with, that’s our routine function.”
When questioned about the fate of those behind the 62 criminal camps, the governor said “I don’t want to tell you the details of what happened to them. The important thing is that the 62 camps have been decimated, and they’re not there anymore, anywhere. We get on there and deal with them decisively. We can’t allow criminality to dominate our place.”
Soludo further addressed the Monday sit-at-home, which had held the Southeast hostage for over five years, stating, “Every Monday, there was a criminal, very debilitating, destructive Monday sit-at-home. Schools — aside from the capital cities in the five Southeast states — had no sit-at-home on Monday, but the rest of the places were mostly under lock and key. This can’t continue, and we decided that this year must be the end. Enough is enough, and I’m happy that so far we’ve taken back our region; we’ve taken back our state.”
Regarding the financial impact of the sit-at-home orders, the governor described it as significant, “Well, there are several numbers people cite depending on where they come from and how they calculate their nebulous figures. The little I can tell you is that each day, you can imagine if you look at the economic size of the Southeast, and you have 365 days in a year.
“How many Mondays? How many weeks do you have, 52? And 52 days out of the 365, excluding weekends and Sundays, which are obviously work-free. Then you calculate the rest of it. Quite frankly, if you’re thinking in terms of those informal services that work Monday through Saturday, every Monday lost is about 20 percent of the work week.
“Twenty percent, schools shut down on Mondays. That’s 20 percent lost. You can calculate that: if in a year you lose 20 percent, if you cascade that through the economic front, you’re not just losing income at 20 percent, but you’re also losing opportunities for growth, because some other people are going to divert their businesses and investments elsewhere, because you are not open for business.
“And so you can compound the costs in various ways, socially, economically, politically, not just now, but also in the future. Therefore, for us, it’s something that just can’t go on if we value the future of our people. And I think now that they are open,the Main Market, more than 45,000 shops.
“You can imagine the largest market in West Africa getting shut one day a week. Just quantify that. And now that they are open, I went there on Monday last week. If you saw the joy of the people, tens of thousands of people there chanting and rejoicing that a new dawn is here this year. And this last Monday, they trooped out again in tens of thousands. In fact, when I went there, there were over 100,000 people; you couldn’t find space to even put your feet. We’re going to regenerate the Main Market; we’re going to regenerate it because it’s been run down so badly.
“All the parking lots there, they took them over and built shops all over the places. We’re going to breathe life back into it again and restore its pride of place as the premier market in West Africa.”
