.Says those harbouring criminals would be treated as criminals

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State Government has said that traditional rulers in the state would now come under the scrutiny of security agencies to determine those either directly involved in criminal activities or in aiding and abetting crime.

Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, made this known yesterday while briefing the media on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting for the first week of April 2025.

He said that security agencies were asked to start beaming their searchlights on the royal fathers following the rescue of a prominent Abia billionaire businessman, Chief Obasi Lawson, who was abducted on March 4, 2025 at Azumi in Ukwa East Local Government.

The State Police Command had said that Lawson was abducted by gunmen at about 7p.m. fateful day, adding that both his driver and a security aide were killed by the hoodlums.

Though Kanu did not give details on how the businessman regained his freedom, as it has to do with “security matters”, he stated that it has become necessary to sieve traditional rulers in order to ascertain those harbouring criminals in their domains.

He said that any royal father found to be harbouring criminals would be treated as one, adding that the government had previously warned traditional rulers and community leaders against providing cover for criminals.

“The state government is frowning seriously at this (harbouring criminals) and the warning is that if you are caught in the act of harbouring criminals, you will be treated as one,” Kanu stated.

The Information Commissioner equally warned town union leaders against looking the other way while crime is being committed, insisting that they must be vigilant and report to security agencies all cases of suspicious movements.

“Let me reiterate the old cliche that ‘when you see something, you say something’. We have to even go further to say that when you see something, take action by making discreet reports to the security agencies,” Kanu said.

The Abia government spokesman stressed the need for Abia residents to remain vigilant, adding that town unions and traditional rulers must be alive to their duties of keeping watch over their domains.

Meanwhile, the Alex Otti administration has announced that it would discontinue the age-long practice of maintenance works on the 19.5 kilometre Umuahia-Bende federal road.

According to the Information Commissioner, government has seen the futility of the doing palliative works on a road that has long exhausted its lifespan saying that the road has been recommended for total reconstruction.

He said that the decision to reconstruct the road was based on the report by the State Ministry of Works which stated that Umuahia-Bende Road long expired hence there is no economical value in continuous maintenance of the road.

However, Kanu pointed out a snag in embarking on the total reconstruction of the road, saying that “the road is a federal road and there will be necessary interactions between the state government and federal authorities.”

He hinted that once the federal authorities give the green light, Abia would commence full rehabilitation of the road and end the perennial patch-ups that served no purpose.

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