The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is the Chief Security Officer of the State, on whose table the buck stops as regards the Security of lives and property of the citizens of the State. Even in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the major responsibility of the President and Governors is Security.
Without mincing words, Okorocha improved the security in Imo State tremendously, immediately after he assumed office. Hoodlums then took a leave out of Imo State, as the rate of sundry crimes reduced; including Kidnappings and armed Robbery.
However, it is very unfortunate that Okorocha’s record in this area is nose-diving at a geometric speed that in the last one month in Imo State, three horrible murders have been recorded in the State Capital, Owerri.
First was the murder of a Bouncer in a popular Night Club at new Owerri. This followed the gruesome killing of an alleged student of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, right at the premises of the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, as if the hoodlums wanted the late student to be easily deposited at the FMC morgue, without much ado.
Then, the one of this week that has to do with a man of God, Rev Father Osuagwu, who was heading to Army Barracks, Obinze to preside over a morning mass.
Whether anybody likes it or not, these three murders have placed Imo State and its inhabitants in a fearful mood, as no one knows who will be the next victim and casualty.
This scenario has placed apprehension among the citizens, who had relished a relatively peaceful environment before these latest incidents broke the orderly circle that pervaded the State Capital.
However, the issue of security is a matter that concerns everybody; the Chief Security Officer of the State, the Citizens and the Security Operatives.
While we hip blames on the police and other security organisations over breach of security in the land, it is pertinent to note that those committing these crimes are not ghosts. They are also human beings. It is important also to realize that security personnel are human beings and not spirits to look at people in their faces and decipher those that are criminals.
In order words, if the police and the populace work together, with the Chief Security Officer providing the necessary logistics and policies, crimes could easily be curbed in Imo, since no society is completely free of evil doers.
In these cases, parents should be the first to blame in the proliferation of crime within any given society. Every child has a home, from where he or she grew into adult hood. In other words the family is the first Institution where a child is groomed.
There is no saying the fact that many things have changed now, unlike before when parents had total control of their children. Civilization, modernity and “free world” have not helped matters.
Today, children get access to various channels which indoctrinate them wrongly without their parents knowing.
The discovery of Information Technology has helped in pushing our children into various vices at very tender ages. Therefore, while we rejoice over science and its positive contributions to society, we must not forget its adverse effects on the younger generation.
Today’s youths are exposed to “Life” very early, which have led many youths to aim for what they cannot afford. In the pursuance of these elusive lofty dreams, they become vulnerable to various Groups, including cultistism, which is the foundation of different crimes like Armed Robbery, Political thuggery, including yahoo.
During our time as youths, washing your parent’s vehicles and in the process allowed to “warm” the engines is enough privilege, much more even engaging the gear box to gear one.
But today, a student can return home with a brand new Jeep, and the parents will go into frenzy with joy, without asking if their child has completed his studies, gone to youth service, much more of finding a job, yet he is coming home with a brand new car and he is embraced with a slap on the wrist.
When I was a student in the University, if I spend more than a month without requesting for my regular pocket money, my father later Dr Hilary Ekpe will call the Vice Chancellor on land phone, who will summon me to his office to pick the call. And my father would demand from me where I got the money that had been sustaining me since I had not visited home.
But today, it will be a thing of happiness to parents if their wards in school hardly visit home for a whole semester. This does not matter whether the child is a male or female student. No one asks where they have been, and how they have been surviving.
While growing up in Owerri in the seventies, we know “who is who” and can even tell you the owner of a new car when that vehicle passes. When we see Toyota Crown, Citreon, Range Rover, Mercedebenz, we could easily guess the family that owned it. This was because you cannot just come from the moon and own an exotic car without source of income.
Much as riches are not meant for a particular group in the society, but it will be surprising to see a child of a Gateman in a Government Ministry buy a house at Prefab Estate, drive latest car in town, and parade Girls in all the clubs, yet you know the income of the parents. From where else could such a Boy have made that stupendous wealth?
What I am saying is that parents should not shirk from their responsibities in knocking it into the head of their children that hard work pays.
When children are well groomed from their homes, the society could be more crime-free. A child who began by pilfering the parent’s money would graduate to a Bank robber; that who stole the neighbour’s chicken is a future Kidnapper, the one that is a member of a Cult, will move from brandishing knives to owning Guns. From harassing fellow students and lecturers, he will enter the town with guns, and graduate to armed robbery.
Much as the society cannot be rid of crime and criminals completely, parents must let their wards know that it pays to make legitimate income, no matter how meagre, and live a peaceful and fulfilled live, than to live “big” and die quick.
Therefore, while it is the job of the police to fight crime it must also be noted that families are the first University where every child graduates before venturing into the outside world.
Talking about the police; logistics to fight crime make the job of the policeman easier. It could be said that our police are doing their best under the circumstances they found themselves.
No matter your type of employment, motivation is the key. Why our politicians are “killing” each other to win elections is just for the mouth-watering and humongous salaries and allowances waiting for them at the end of the “fight”.
When a woman tells you that his husband is the best in the world, it could be true, but surely, without money to take care of the family the wife will not give that man hundred percent.
Our police are poorly motivated. And you ask why join the force in the first place? Which is better? To remain idle at home, or at least have an office to go to every morning?
Another question? Why is it that our soldiers and police do extensively well when they are on United Nations assignments? The answer is simple; in such assignments they are well equipped, like their colleagues from other countries. That is the reason Nigeria Security Personnel win laurels in such outings.
Equip Nigerian Security well, and they will do better. This is the reason the Department of State Security DSS seems to be up and higher than other security outfits in the land, in terms of accomplishments.
But having said that, the police in Imo State must up their ante. After all, there is a particular Police Commissioner in the State that led operations himself against hoodlums, and crime was reduced drastically in the State.
What Imo police should realize is that with elections now over, the crime rate would go higher as idle youths who were engaged as thugs by politicians are back home doing nothing. And worst still, most of them are armed with weapons they may not have handed back to their principals.
Police in the state must double their efforts as successful operations, be it murder, armed robbery or yahoo, emboldens others to follow suit.
Imo police should know the “dark spots” in the state and must carry out periodic raids at such places. This could destabilise prospective operations, as these deadly criminals hatch their plans in such places.
And for the Chief Security Officer of the State, Governor Rochas Okorocha, donation of Security Vans to Security Operatives is not entirely enough in curbing crime.
Government policies do much in reducing crimes, than the provision of logistics to fight it.
For instance, the proliferation of motor parks in the state capital is an invitation to crime. Some of the motor parks harbour dangerous criminals who turn to armed robbers immediately darkness approaches.
Why would Hawkers takeover the entire streets of Imo State, including the Round- about near Government House, Owerri? Is Imo State not operating free education where its youths would be engaged in studies, even during holidays? So, where do these legions of Hawkers and able bodied youths that have evaded Owerri streets come from? After hawking in the day, what do they do in the nights?
Government should try and create jobs for the teeming roaming unemployed Imo Graduates. It is unfortunate that those that were officially employed by the last administration were thrown out by the Okorocha Government. And those employed under Okorocha Youth Must Work Programme are not given official employment letters and are owed several months arrears of their monthly stipend of N20, 000 twenty thousand naira.
An idle mind is a devil’s work shop. The future of every society is on the youths, and it is among them that those that torment the society emerge, if they have nothing to do. Engage the youths meaningfully and they will not only develop individually, but also develop their environment.
The situation is more worrisome because most of the criminals caught by police today are usually Graduates or under Graduates.
And they may have taken to this rough and dangerous route due to frustration occasioned by unemployment and idleness.
And when a graduate robs, it will not be like that of illiterate. This is the reason the stealings these days are scientific and humongous an in nature because of the mentality of those committing them.
The only industry Imo is known for is education. When these legions of unemployed graduates go out to seek for Job outside the State and found none, they return home to their State of origin to terrorise other citizens through crimes.
However, the youths must realize that patient and perseverance are good challenges for all aspiring youths who aspire for bright future. Life is not easy anywhere. Some people spend six years before getting a job, yet they still made it in life. How many years did it take Owelle Rochas Okorocha to be Governor of Imo State? From 1999 to 2011, so let the youths be patient, but focused. Rome was not built in a day, as every success must be out of dint of hard work. Anything to the contrary is invitation to quick wealth and early grave. The wages of sin is death, No peace for the wicked. The Bible said.
