From Umar Dankano,Yola
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state has warned those who participated in the looting spree on various warehouses to return all stolen food and non food items or face the wrath of the law.
Governor Fintiri gave the warning in a statewide broadcast in Yola yesterday stressing that the attack on Government warehouse is a criminal activity that must be condemned by all of us.
Fintiri noted that the perpetrators of this heinous activity and their accomplice would certainly be dealt with as criminals.
"There cannot be any situation that would warrant this level of aberrant resort to brigandage.
"Fellow citizens, we have a State to govern and it is a serious business. Our responsibility is to Adamawa citizens across the entire 21 Local Government Areas of the State.
"A situation where some irate hoodlums from one or two Local Governments arrogate to themselves the deviant right to break into public store to steal government reserves meant for emergency response all in the name of searching for palliatives is a brigandage taken too far.
"Admittedly, we are passing through tough times. But this isn’t restricted only to Adamawa State and in Adamawa State, it isn’t restricted to the metropolitan side of Jimeta and Yola alone. The fact that this shameful act is being perpetrated in only these locations points to the fact that so much work is required to fix the social disarticulation in our society.
"As a government, we are conscious of our primary responsibility of providing the right security to the lives and properties of the State and the Citizens.We
have so far, arrested about 90 suspects caught in the act of this brigandage. Investigations are still ongoing. Preliminary findings from the investigations suggest that besides the purported claim to the economic crunch which is propelled by the innate trait of criminality, is the inducement of some lazy politicians in our midst.
"We shall deal decisively with anyone who aided and abetted this callous slide into anarchy.
"However, to those hoodlums bent at disrupting the peace of the State, you are given until 12pm Tuesday 1st August 2023 to return all items looted from the warehouses to the nearest Police Stations, after which I will sign an Executive Order for a house-to-house search to commence at the expiration of the deadline.
"Part of the provisions of the order is a sanction that will attract withdrawal of C of O and if necessary, demolition of every house that habours any of the stolen property. Law abiding citizens should cooperate with the security agencies to ensure this is enforced to the later. I am calling on parents to handover their deviant wards and the stolen goods to the security agencies or equally face the wraths of the law.
"We regret any inconveniences caused by the curfew regimes. This is done in the best interest of public peace and security".
