In the last eleven months, Imo state has attracted the attention of political scientists, observers, analysts and commentators who see it as a demonstrable testimony that it is possible for a people to put partisan differences aside and work together for their collective good.

With the outcome of the April, 28th 2007 governorship election throwing up a unique political setting in the state, some analysts had predicted that the new administration of Governor Ikedi Ohakim was not going to bring about political stability in the state. Indeed, his political opponents, especially those he defeated at the election, went to town with doom’s day prophesy of what would soon befall the state.

But all that was not to be. The people decided to prove these false prophets wrong by working with their governor to whom they had overwhelmingly given their mandate. All the major stakeholders decided to work under one page with the governor. The rest of the story is so well known that it is sufficient to simply state that this resolve by the good people of Imo to work together for the peace and progress of their state did not go down well with a few elements who felt aggrieved over the people’s refusal to grant their wishes of ruling over them.

Hiding under the constitutional liberty that allows them to seek electoral redress, these elements unleashed psychological violence on the people of the state. Prior to March 7, 2008 when the Elections Petitions Tribunal in Owerri delivered its judgments upholding the election of Chief Ikedi Ohakim as their governor, the people of the state were harassed, intimidated and blackmailed for supporting their governor. But they remained steadfast in their commitment that they would not be detracted from working with the new administration to move the state forward.

Having lost the battle in that front, these disgruntled elements have gone into the next stage of their carefully planned agenda to cause physical and psychological discomfort on the people through acts of terror. In the last four weeks, the state has witnessed acts of violence whose pattern leave no one in doubt that they were well rehearsed to achieve a set objective, namely to make the state ungovernable.

These acts of terror have come by way of armed robbery attacks especially on banks, attack on property and personnel of some media houses operating in the state, coupled with the spate of snatching of government-owned vehicles at gun point. Then, there have been the very worrisome cases of kidnapping of people, mostly relatives of wealthy citizens of the state.

Again the story is too well known that it is of little or no need going into further details here. What is important to note in all of this is that it was precisely on these latest tactics, by these disgruntled elements to arm-twist the good people of the state, that the governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, warned the people in his state-wide broadcast on Saturday February 23, 2008.

In that broadcast, the governor did not mince words in alerting the people of a plan by some among them to unleash violence on the state through organized crime mostly armed robbery, kidnapping of very important personalities together with other acts of terror all with the hope that a state of emergency would be declared in the state.

Again on Tuesday February 26, 2008, the governor, at a meeting with Local Government Transition Committee Chairmen, Traditional Rulers, Town Union Chairmen and other stake holders, gave further details of the planned attack on the state.

At the meeting which was well attended, the governor dully informed the state that one of the enemies of the state have a police station located inside his country home. The governor told the people that security reports available to government revealed that the private police station is used to stock pile arms which would be used to mastermind kidnapping of important people, commit murder, arson and robbery. One of the tactics to be used, according to the governor, was to use fake military and police uniforms to infiltrate security formations in the state.

It is important to state here that the governor made these revelations conscious of the fact that he stood the risk of being branded an alarmist; or even lamenting the helplessness of government. Of course, the evil planners did go to town with these accusations but government was not deterred because it realized that the level of desperation among these criminal elements required going an extra mile to ensure that the people are put at alert.

Today, the import of that move can be seen in the fact that the current acts of violence now being unleashed on the people follow the pattern as had been hinted by government. For example, one of the recent robbery incidents at a bank in Owerri was facilitated through the use of fake police uniforms by the hoodlums, exactly as security information had revealed last February.

To be sure, the question naturally arises as to what measures the government took to forestall the planned attack, having had the privilege of knowing before hand. To this question, however, goes the answer that the very fact that the government was able to discover the plans demonstrates, ab initio, that it is very much alive to its responsibilities on the security of lives and property of citizens of the state. Admitted that the criminals have managed to get away in one or two instances, there can be no doubt that they would have done much damage had government not given the initial warning which kept Imo citizens on alert.

Besides, Imo people are witnesses to the fact that before the recent incidents, organized crime in the state had been reduced by over 70 per cent between May 2007 and January 2008. This was a direct outcome of the Ohakim administration’s decision to make security matters a priority. Perhaps next only to his pet Clean and Green project, it was the security of lives and property that got Governor Ohakim’s initial attention as soon as he assumed office.

As early as June 10, barely two weeks in office, the governor inaugurated a Security Committee made up of members from all the security agencies. Between May last year and now, the administration has put in over N1.3 billion on security. Last December, the Government launched Operation Festival which was the first of its kind in the state, targeted at making the last Christmas period crime-free. That was achieved as the state record almost a zero armed robbery yuletide period last year.

Nobody can, of course, adequately quantify the commitment of a government to matters of security; or give a benchmark on what a government could do to ensure adequate security of lives and property of the citizens. But the truth also remain that even the most insensitive government would not pay lip service to matters of security. This argument becomes even more plausible for an administration that is proactive and revolutionary in its approach to matters concerning the wellbeing of the citizens. Doubtless, the current situation is disturbing but it is heartwarming that the people have realized that what is happening today is part of a deliberate plan to rubbish their resolve to live in peace and make progress.

They should, therefore, not give up. While government should do everything to plug all the loopholes, the people should remain alert, steadfast and dogged in facing the current challenges. This is not the first time evil doers are trying to set back the hand of progress in the state. They did it even under the military during the Otokoto saga. They did it again during the last dispensation. But the criminals were resisted. With the same resolve, Imo people will similarly dislodge the masterminds of the current plot to bring their state to disrepute.

Finally, it is pertinent to point out that the security agencies in the state should redouble their efforts at helping the government and people in this challenge of dealing decisively with this common enemy within. So far, all indications point to an existing cordial relationship between the government and the headship of these agencies. This is encouraging especially as there are evidence that government has always lived up to expectations in rendering necessary support to these agencies in carrying out their functions of crime detection and prevention.