The Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, on Saturday promised a N5 million reward for information that would lead to the arrest of kidnappers and armed robbers in the state.
He also promised the same amount for information that would lead to the discovery of their hideouts in the state.
Soludo stated this at the formal launch of “Operation Udo Ga-Achi’l,” (Peace shall Prevail), a joint security intervention force in Awka, the state capital.
He said the security initiative was designed to safeguard the lives and well-being of residents and visitors in state.
The governor stressed the need for a collective action to fight insecurity in the state.
He said: “We are taking a decisive action on security with the formal launching of Operation ‘Udo Ga-Achi’ because we are determined to fight criminality and ensure Anambra becomes the safest state.
“We need people in the communities to give information to security agencies through our toll free line – 5111.
“For whistleblowers, anyone that gives us credible information that leads to the arrest of any kidnapper or armed robber or information that leads to rounding up of criminals in a camp will be paid a bounty of any amount up to a maximum of N5 million (depending on the class of criminal).
“We encourage each community to design and execute its own security programme. On monthly basis, any community with zero crime will get a reward of N10 million.”
He said 2000 personnel drawn from the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and vigilante group known as “Agunechemba” had been mobilised for the operation.
Soludo said 200 patrol vehicles had been procured and would be active in the nooks and crannies of the state.
“This operation is designed to tackle the rising insecurity in Anambra, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, drug epidemic, criminal idolatry, land grabbing, touting and other violent crimes.
“On the part of government, be rest assured that we are determined to take the criminals head-on and quadruple our efforts in security.
“For our long-term survival, we must rise up and fight together. If you see or know something, say or do something! Silence means complicity,” he stated.
Earlier, the governor signed the Anambra State Homeland Security Bill 2025 into law to legalise the new security initiative in the state.