Gov. Otti Reveals How Abia Flushed Out Bandits In Forest, Communities

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has revealed that the state government recovered the communities and forest from the bandits through effective collaboration with security agencies.

Naija News reports that Otti made this known while delivering his third anniversary speech at Umuahia Township Stadium on Friday, stating that bandits had set up camps inside forests from where they terrorised innocent villagers, forcing natives to panic or flee.

According to Otti, kidnappers, armed robbers, and other criminal gangs were in control of several communities in the state when he assumed office, before his administration dislodged them.

While praising the heads of security agencies and traditional rulers for their roles in restoring security and order in communities, Otti urged Abia citizens to always provide security agencies with information that would sustain the onslaught against criminals.

He stated, “Security was a major challenge in the state three years ago. Several communities were held hostage as kidnappers, armed robbers, and other criminal groups set up camps in the forests from where they launched sporadic attacks on innocent Abians.”

Otti also said that 2,997 truckloads of refuse were evacuated from the state’s streets a few weeks after he took power in 2023, thereby saving residents from environmental pollution and its associated health hazards.

Speaking on the condition of Abia workers under his administration, Otti noted that civil servants and pensioners no longer beg on the streets for their monthly salaries and pensions, as was the case in the past.

While thanking the citizens of the state for their support, Governor Otti promised that state funds and other resources would never be wasted on frivolities.