In response to increasing criminal activities within the boundaries of Anambra and Enugu states, the two Police Commands have launched a joint interstate border patrol operation in the region.
The decision to launch the security operation followed a series of reported cases involving kidnappers and gunmen engaged in interstate and transborder criminal activities, prompting the need for collaborative efforts between the states.
This prompted a meeting of the two commissioners, CP Ikioye Orutugu of Anambra State and CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa of Enugu State, at the Anambra Police Command in Awka on Monday.
The meeting, which also included Deputy and Assistant Police Commissioners from both states, yielded far-reaching plans to strengthen security operations at major flashpoints in the area.
A statement issued by the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the meeting was in line with the enhanced policing guidelines of the Inspector-General of Police.
Ikenga stated that the Commissioners of Police from both states, CP Ikioye Orutugu of Anambra and CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa of Enugu, met to proactively devise operational strategies to address security challenges in the neighboring states.
According to Ikenga, the Commissioners identified criminal infiltration between the states as a major security issue that requires immediate attention to combat violent crimes and the activities of subversive criminal elements.
“As a result, they pledged to collaborate by sharing intelligence and pooling operational resources to address violent crime at the borders and within their respective states,” the PPRO said.
Ikenga further stated that the Commissioners reiterated their commitment to decisively combating all forms of crime and criminality in both states, aiming to ensure maximum public security and safety.
He said the Commissioners warned criminals operating in the two states to either repent or face the full force of the law.
