By Angelina Chindo 

There was a time when every Anambra man or woman who visited his village from, say, Lagos had to come with a score or so policemen to avoid being kidnapped or killed. Traditional marriages, which ought to take place in the village were then staged in Lagos or Abuja. Such sacrilege became the rule rather than the exception because of the absence of security in the homeland. It took the coming of Governor Willie Obiano for the anomaly to stop.

Nobody was above being kidnapped. The revered Nollywood actor and former broadcaster, Chief Pete Edochie, was kidnapped. The renowned proprietor of GUO Motors, Chief G.U. Okeke, was abducted while on church grounds in Onitsha. The celebrated industrialist and owner of Tourist Garden Hotel, Chief Paul Okonkwo, the Oji of Isuofia, popularly known as Pokobros, was equally nabbed by the daredevil kidnappers that then operated as though they owned the land.

Not even well-heeled traditional rulers could escape the noose of the kidnappers. Igwe Robert Eze of Ukpo had to be rescued from the vice grip of the kidnap gang. A similar fate befell Igwe Patrick Okeke of Abagana. It was so traumatic that the government then appeared not to have the security apparatus in place to stem the tide of kidnappings that also affected Igwe Lawrence Oragwu of Adazi-Nnukwu and Igwe Jerome Udechukwu of Ihembosi.

The tragic dimension was that some potentates of Anambra State lost their lives in the course of the dastardly kidnaps. A former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike, lost his dear life while trapped in the captivity of the kidnappers. The long list of the kidnapped sons and daughters of Anambra State makes for tearful reading. Then God answered the prayers with the coming to power of Obiano. He read the riot act in his maiden broadcast: “In the area of security, Anambra will be different under my watch. Not only shall we redraft the operational manual of the entire security apparatchik of Anambra State to ensure a lightning-quick response, we shall also re-orient our people to see that every citizen has a role to play in the security of our communities. The concept of community policing or what is better known as the vigilance groups, has worked well in Anambra State. The next challenge, however, is to re-train, re-equip and refocus them to meet the dynamics of our time. Along the same line, we will strengthen the police and other law enforcement agencies in the state to enhance their efficiency and response rate to distress calls.”

A very proactive leader, Obiano followed up by making security his chief enabler. He effectively convened a security summit and brought widely consulted Israeli security expert, Moshe Kennan, to address the summit. The summit had members of all the security agencies in the state and their helmsmen in attendance. The singular agenda was to device the most efficient means of flushing out all criminal elements in the state, thus ensuring the safety of the entire state.

The governor did not rest on his oars as he formed “Operation Kpochapu” that lived up to its name of cleaning up the state of criminal elements. The “Operation Kpochapu” squad comprises of all security agencies in the state, notably the Police, Army, Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Customs, and the vigilante etc.

Kidnappers and robbers were thus put on the run through the security network put in place by Obiano.

Realising that the robbers may quit Anambra only to take refuge in neighbouring states, he  saw the need to convene a security conference for the South East states and Delta State in the bid for the other states to follow the Anambra example for the mutual security of all. The South-East and Delta States’ Security Conference 2015 that had the theme “Security Bedrock for Governance” took place at the Anambra State Governor’s Lodge with five governors in attendance.

According to Obiano, “we are here to ask how long we shall continue to fall to the barrel of the gun, pointed at us by our own people? Our ability to answer that question will determine how well we will live. Here in Anambra State, we have done what we should do by fighting criminals to a standstill. By doing so, we have secured the state and investors are happier coming here. We have attracted 2.4 billion US dollars investments, and we have experienced liberty here, but our freedom will remain incomplete if the criminals we drive away here will find refuge in other states in the region.”

Obiano has won several honours for making Anambra the safest state, and he boldly stresses: “Anambra is highly regarded as the safest state in Nigeria today. Anyone who is familiar with the Anambra narrative would remember that for decades, our beloved state was held down by lawlessness and insecurity which made all efforts at meaningful development impossible. At a point, Anambra could almost pass for a postcard for disorder and insecurity. But our story has changed in just three years. We have made rapid progress from being an address for lawlessness to an oasis of peace and a destination for wise investors.”

Yes, the Anambra security revolution by Governor Obiano deserves celebration.

• Chindo wrote in from Awka, Anambra State.