A day after carrying out a similar exercise in the South East, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, moved his ‘war’ train to Port Harcourt, Wednesday, where he launched his new special security action plan, code-named Operation Restore Peace, or Operation RP, to quell the security crisis plaguing the South-South.
Like he said in Enugu, Tuesday, the IGP, while flagging off the special operation, noted that the operation in the South-South region was also targeted at stemming the tide of violent attacks and breakdown of law and order in the region.
Operation Restore Peace, IGP Baba reiterated, aimed primarily to contain the heightened threats to lives and property occasioned by what he termed “the secessionists activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), as well as other criminal elements in the region.”
A statement issued by Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police and Force Public Relations Officer, said IGP Baba “condemned the increased cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence, economic sabotage and other threats to public safety bedeviling the region.
These crimes, the IGP observed, were in addition to the series of violent attacks on security personnel and formation in the region.
However, he expressed optimism that the new special operation action plan will re-order and stabilize security in the South-South, noting that “personnel deployed for the operation have been charged to courageously and fiercely defend themselves and innocent citizens as well as critical national infrastructure against any arms-bearing criminal group or elements.”
Baba praised and thanked Rivers State Governor, Chief (Dr) Nyesom Wike, other South-South Governors, traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders and other state actors in the region, for their solid support for the Police and the law enforcement community in their efforts at achieving a safe, secure and peaceful south-south region. He assured that the new special operation will provide an all-inclusive front to confront criminal elements, take the battle to their doorsteps and re-order the cherished national values of peace and unity in the region.
Governor Wike, who was represented by His Deputy, reaffirmed his administration’s zero tolerance to crimes and criminality in Rivers State. He commended the IGP for the initiative and pledged support of the State Government to the success of the Operation Restore Peace in the state, South-South,and the country at large. Other dignitaries at the flag-off program include representatives of the other Governors of the South-South region, traditional rulers, clergymen, etc.
The IGP enjoined citizens in the South-South region to give full support to security personnel throughout the period of the operation and beyond. He re-affirmed that the operation will be people-driven, human-right focused but ruthless on criminal elements.
