A none governmtal body, Enugu Safety Watch has disclosed that Enugu state government tops rank among states in Nigeria that has made great investment in security for protection of lives and properties of it’s residents in the current dispensation.
The group dismissed as true, a report that there was reign of terror in the state, stressing that the state government has been up and doing in ensuring that the state maintains it’s safest state sobriquet in Nigeria.
The Enugu Safety Watch group said that the state government has the highest state-funded vigilante and neighborhood watches in the country with 20 personal in each 260 wards of the state, bring it to a total of 5200.
The group also noted that the government has 1,700 forest Guards, covering communities in the state, which no other state has beaten in such security apparatus.
The problem, the group regretted was that the law dies not empower the state-funded security outfits to bear sophisticated arms, but light weapons as prescribed by the law.
Director of the Enugu Safety Group, Mr. John Ezenwa made the disclosure in an interview with Vanguard, on Sunday.
Ezenwa said: “Enugu state is truly in the Hands of God and no force can be greater than the supreme power.
“In its determination to the resolution of insecurity matters, the state government procured and donated 100 units of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) patrol vans with communication gadgets to the security agencies to aid their operations
“The 1,700 Forest Guards was the first in the South East geo-political zone which as not been unequaled in any part of the country.
“In repositioning and strengthening the state Vigilante/Neighbourhood Watch groups, the Enugu state government purchased 260 security vehicles for Community Policing operations.
“It also procured and distributed 260 motorcycles and 300 bicycles to the 260 electoral wards in the state to complement the security logistics in the state, and which facilitated the operations of the Forest Guards
“The state government went ahead to actualise the construction of 76 Police Mobile Force Squadron Facility at Ekwegbe, Igbo-Etiti LGA, an area now being utilise against kidnap operation along Enugu-Nsukka road.
“Only recently, the State Government Tuesday held an emergency security meeting at Government House, Enugu, to review the security situation in the state.”
It will be recalled that recently, some forest guard operatives in Udi local government area were responsible for dislodging of kidnappers in Awhum forest and other parts of Udi North in the council area.
In the same vain, neighborhood watches in different parts of the state have recorded successes in the combating insecurity challenges in their respect areas of jurisdiction.