A press statement on Wednesday by Soludo’s press secretary, Christian Aburime, indicated that the governor expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and organisations, particularly the US Embassy over the death of their staff and policemen.
The governor, therefore, called on anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the criminals to offer same on its secured security phone numbers or to any of the security agencies as a such informant will be handsomely rewarded while investigations are underway.
The statement read, “On behalf of the government and great people of Anambra State, the Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, expresses deep condolences to the bereaved families and organisations, particularly the US Embassy, over the death of their staff and policemen who were attacked by gunmen along Atani-Osamala Road, Ogbaru Local Government Area on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, while they were on a mission in Anambra State.
“We strongly condemn the heinous and unprovoked attack. Over the last year, we have worked very hard with our gallant security forces to massively degrade criminality and restore law and order. We can proudly assert that Anambra is currently one of the safest states in Nigeria.
“Only two weeks ago, the dreaded and notorious criminal gang leader operating mostly in a neighbouring state was gunned down with four of his team members when they made an incursion into Anambra and recovered huge deadly weapons. The criminals are largely on the run or feeling the heat of our zero tolerance to criminality.
“This incident in a remote riverine community in Ogbaru local government is a reminder that patches of these criminal gangs can still unleash senseless and murderous acts.”
It added that whatever the identity or motive of the attackers, the state government will actively work with the security agencies to smoke out the criminals and bring them to justice.
“We assure our residents and visitors of our continued commitment to law and order. If anything, this incident has emboldened our drive.”
He added that as the investigation continues that it is evident from reports by the various security agencies in the state that the visiting team made their own security arrangements and totally bypassed the existing security architecture in the state and the state government was not aware of the ‘humanitarian mission’ of the visiting team.
The governor also stated that in a place like parts of Ogbaru where security forces have been fighting the criminals and oil bunkers, the sight of few policemen can indeed attract vengeance from the criminal gangs. Correcting such lapses and ensuring better coordination will help prevent such avoidable incidents in the future.
“Together, we will prevail over those who seek to disrupt the peace and stability of our society,” he added.
