Gov Otu restates commitment to fighting crime in Cross River

By Our Reporter

Governor Bassey Otu has restated his administration’s commitment to supporting security agencies to exterminate the remaining small pockets of crime in Cross River State.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, made the pledge, Friday when he received the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-South, DIG Sokari Pedro and his team in Calabar.

Applauding the collaborative efforts of the Police and other security agencies in combating crime and insecurity in the State, Governor Otu assured the high-powered delegation of his administration’s readiness to support the police with Hi-Tech facilities and basic technology that would enhance the fight against crime in the Cross River.

“I want to thank you and your team for making out time to visit the State. We are happy that you came indeed happier that you are heading the Department of Information and Communication Technology in the Nigerian Police Force.

“Let me also thank the Commissioner of Police, CP Gyogon Augustine Grimah and his men for the tremendous work they are doing in the State. Because of them, we can sleep with our both eyes closed. They have reduced crime to the barest minimum.

“Today, crime has become impossible to fight without the use of modern technology.

“Let me assure you, again, that the Government of Cross River would do even more for the police and her sister security agencies to ensure that we put to rest all the security challenges in the State,” he stated.

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Governor Otu maintained that while it is commonplace that there is no society without crime, the government is ensuring that nobody in the State resorts to crime as their stock-in-trade or becomes a security threat to another.

Attributing the small level of crime in the state to being perpetrated by strangers who sneak into the state periodically to wreak havoc, Otu said “We will equip our security system with advanced technology to track down these criminals and make them face the full wrath of the law. Cross River State Government is committed to fighting crime.”

Earlier, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-South and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the country, DIG Sokari Pedro said the essence of his visit to the State was to have a first-hand experience of how the Police are fairing in Cross River as well as boosting the morale of men of the force operating in the State.

He also stated that part of his visit was to remind his officers of the need to always adhere to their professional ethics as officers of the law.

The DIG lauded Governor Otu for his support for the police and other security agencies in the quest for law and order, saying that his men have inundated him with the present administration’s steadfast support for the smooth operations of operating security in the State.

He excitedly informed the government that security reports rank Cross River as the State with the lowest crime rate in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria while seeking the administration’s continuous support for the police in the State’s resolve for a peaceful and crime-free Cross River State.