By Richard Inoyo
There seem to be a relative calm in Calabar, the state capital of Cross River State nay the entire regarding the activities of daredevil criminals and men of the underworld. However, this calmness from a periscopic view is laced with a frightening prospect as the smokescreen joy we are witnessing has a slender body that might break too soon if redress is not sought for.
It is also important to commend the efforts of the Governor, Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu on his efforts so far. Aside from the pockets of issues here and there bothering on internal conflicts within communities and occasionally scuffles observed in the state.
In an exposition, Richard Inoyo reveals that all is not well as he presents some of his observatory in the last one year while charging the Government of the day to be proactive in addressing some of the issues raised.
Excerpts below:
Just last month being June, 2024, the street adjacent to Ibom Close known as Iso Qua, a new Toyota Corolla car was stolen. The owner had parked his car briefly to see a friend, by the time he came out, the car was gone. That car is still at large just like my organisation’s car and those of others that were stolen last year and this year. The Cross River State Government perhaps is waiting for more cars to be stolen with more persons becoming victims before they resolve these crimes and provide closure to the victims.
That same axis where this crime occured, the entire merchandise, a young mother of three had in her shop were looted after the criminals had broken into her shop via the roof.
Just last week, a Toyota Camry car that belonged to a welder at Old Ikang a street that is off Ibom Layout witnessed a strange scene. The welder had parked his car in the compound where he usually parks his car. The said compound had a gate and the gate was locked. But the following morning he woke up to see that his vehicle was no longer where he parked his car inside the compound, and that the gate they locked was opened. On getting outside the compound he was lucky to see that his car was inside the gutter next to the compound, on and steaming with the key still inside. The thieves had mistakingly drove the car into the gutter causing the shaft of the car to break and from there they fled and abandoned the car they had successfully removed from the compound where the car was parked.
This scenario of cars being stolen in Calabar is distressing with victims of these crimes suffering while the State Government claims security is everybody’s business whereas the government takes the security votes monthly with next to nothing to show that insecurity is being tackled.
As I speak, there is now a steady and sustained rise in petty crimes ranging from shop-breaking and house looting as well as stealing of foodstuffs, iron poles used in drying clothes and a host of items such as gas cylinders, provisions, etc.
I’ve been asked perhaps twice, that, “What is the job of an activist?” In my response, I reminded the seeker that “An activist reports the story affecting lives and persuades the government to live up to its primary responsibility of guaranteeing safety of lives and properties, along with important welfarist programs that make same possible to achieve. And at Citizens’ Solution Network, our observatory are forever focused on investigating, documenting and reporting what is going on while demanding appropriate responses from those saddled with the responsibility of doing their jobs after they had grabbed security votes in the name of an entire State”.
I suspect, it may interest you the reader to know that, as we speak, there is no police patrol occuring around several communities and streets in Calabar. Too often, the policemen are on the Marian axis and elsewhere harassing drivers and extorting N100 from bus drivers while causing needless roadblock and traffic. Whereas the communities that need police presence won’t find a patrolling van with men on it combing the environment.
Further discussion with policemen shows that they don’t have the vans to move around and most of their vans are not only in bad shape, they lack the fuel to move around communities at night, thereby leaving residents and citizens to becoming victims of confident criminals that now move with uncapped audacity. Question is, “Why the deliberate and systematic underfunding of residential and citizens’ security while the State corners allocation monthly and provide bank clearance security to the Governor and political office holders alone, while the rest of the public is left to negotiate their own safety?”. You may wish to ask, “Are all citizens not equal?”
But that isn’t the end of the conversation, while the Cross River State Government is busy grabbing security votes monthly running into hundred of millions of Naira, the same government is busy telling the citizens that security is everybody’s business while crimes are left unresolved and on the rise. The question therefore is, “What is the Cross River State Government doing with the security votes?”
As we speak, there are no visible investment in surveillance technology and there is no single program aimed at engaging the youths_ Thousands of youths are without jobs or decent opportunity aimed at giving them hope and possible source of livelihood. When last did you see a new police van in any of the police stations? Yet new cars are being shared to politicians who contribute nothing to community.
While official in government continue to collect security vote in the name of the State, citizens can’t point to single program aimed tackling poverty, creating jobs or creating access to capital for willing entrepreneurs who are hoping that a business financial program should be introduced by the State Government to boost the economy for good.
With raining season comes with a spike in crime rates. Let it be on record, the continuous strategy of denial and pretending about this crime spike adopted by the State government won’t address crime, it will only embolden criminals to continue to lead the surge in crime crest.
May 29, 2023 was the best time to act, but today isn’t that late. As citizens of conscience, do well to ask your Governor and his Executives, “What exactly are their programs to end crime and meaningfully engage the youths beyond the strategy of denial and propaganda?” The time to send that question is now.
We need more than just hope and empty rhetorics, we need concrete investment in security, youths, elderly citizens and the economy, lest more persons become victims due to the absence of superior crime fighting strategy.
Signed
Richard Inoyo,
Editor @Citizens’ Observatory.
