Abia State government through the operatives of the state’s joint security task force, “Operation Crush” and officials of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) on the orders of the Governor of the state, Dr. Alex Otti has raided a popular hard drug bunk in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.
The combined security operatives which destroyed and burnt down the shanties erected by the hoodlums who use them for their hideout also arrested four persons suspected to be hard drug users and some illicit drugs including indian hemps, Methamphetamine and among others confiscated during raid.
The bunk, popularly known as “Black Kingdom” serves as a convergence for hard drugs users and criminal elements before and after embarking on any of their operations and has over the years been raided by security agencies in the state including officials of the National Law Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to Residents, the gangs regroup to continue with their illegal activities days or weeks after such raids and recently, they started raising shanties which as their makeshift homes in the bunk.
The hoodlums taking refuge in the bunk have continued to terrorize, rob and dispossess residents, visitors and shop owners of their valuables, making economic and social life miserable for those whose residence and livelihood are located within the area.
Speaking after the raid, the Director General GADA, Mr. Uche Ukeje said “the raiding of the Black Kingdom was on the orders of Governor Alex Otti, following security concerns around the bunk and activities of those in the bunk, adding that apart from raiding the bunk, the Governor has directed that the operatives of the Operation Crush will be using the area as their operational base.
“The idea behind the decision of His Excellency to approve that the Operation Crush use the location as their operational base is to make sure that those who use the bunk to commit all manner of atrocities are permanently dislodged from the area.
“Aba is important to the governor and he has promised that Aba will take its pride of place in the economy of the state, southeast and the country at large”, he stated.
Mr Ukeje expressed happiness that the effort has started yielding positive results and pledged to sustain the tempo to ensure that the state was safe for residents and investors.
On what the state government is going to do with the arrested drug addicts, the GADA DG said that they would be sending them to rehabilitation facility where they will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society after their rehabilitation process.
