Deploy Tucano Aircraft, Troops To Uyanga Forest, Ayade Urges FG
… Police confirm release of eight victims
From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar
The Cross River State Governor Professor Ben Ayade has urged the Federal Government to deploy the Tucano Aircraft and troops to the Uyanga Forest in Cross River State.
The governor made the plea while formally reacting to the abduction of nine passengers along the Akamkpa Biase axis of the state.
The governor who issued a statement he personally signed announced a number of other security measures put in place by his administration to forestall a re-occurence.
“We have made a request to the Federal Government to draft more troops to the Uyanga Forest as well as the deployment of a Tucano Aircraft.
“Additionally, we have activated the Homeland Security outfit and engaged local hunters to assist in a private paramilitary capacity.
“The state will also purchase more gunboats and patrol vehicles to protect our waterways and our highways just as we have activated the automatic security system on the entrance into Calabar”, he said.
The governor said his heart goes out to the victims of the crime and their families and frowned at the perpetrators for violating the innocence of the state.
He said such acts of criminality cannot and will not be allowed to take root in our state.
He assured residents that his administration is determined to ensure that the “incident is the last on our soil”.
Meanwhile, eight of the nine abductees have re-gained their freedom.
This was confirmed this afternoon by the State Police Public Relations Officer Irene Ugbo.
She said the ninth abductee escaped but dismissed rumours that herdsmen carried out the attack.
She said it was purely a case of armed robbery.
