Information commissioner Okey Kanu says the Abia government “will not yield any part” of the state to criminals.”

Mr Kanu said this on Monday during a press briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia.

He said the safety of lives and property in Abia remained a top priority of the government.

“The present administration will continue to take the security of lives and property in Abia very seriously. Also, as the Yuletide season approaches, the state government wishes to assure citizens that it will stop at nothing to ensure that lives and property are protected,” he said.

Mr Kanu also said that as part of the efforts to tackle insecurity, the Nigerian Army launched its operation code, ‘Udo Ka’, in Abia. He said the operation would focus on ensuring that there would be peace as well as security of lives and property in Abia, particularly during the Christmas season.

“This means in the days and weeks ahead, the security agencies will be very visible around the state. We are assuring the people of Abia that the security agents are out there for their own good and security.

“All the government requires from the citizens is to cooperate with them and offer necessary information about security breaches and movement of suspected criminals in the state,” Mr Kanu said.

On health, he said that going forward, all medical outreaches in Abia must be approved by the health ministry through its commissioner.

On Housing, the commissioner said that the government had evolved a programme called the ‘Public Buildings Initiative’, specifically for rehabilitating dilapidated public buildings.

He said the initiative would be a continuous exercise until every abandoned public building in Abia wore a new look and became functional.

(NAN)