Governor Nyesom Wike of River State has warned that the state government would dethrone traditional rulers of communities where cultism and kidnapping were encouraged.
The governor also cautioned that communities with a prevalence of cultism, kidnapping and other forms of crime would no longer enjoy the patronage of the state government. Wike issued this warning while addressing a special security meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The security meeting had in attendance the State Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel, State Director of Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, Commander SOG 115, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commander E.O. Ebiowei, Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore S.J. Bura and State Commander of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mohammed Haruna. Also in attendance were the local government chairmen, traditional rulers, community development committee chairmen and youth leaders in the state.
“All those local government areas where there are no serious cases of cultism and kidnapping, the state government will give them more projects and attention. But local government areas where cultism and kidnapping have become entrenched, the state government will depart.
“For communities where cultism and kidnapping are encouraged, their traditional rulers will be deposed. We will not allow crisis in our communities. If you don’t want to take the war to them, we will take the war to you,” the governor further cautioned.
Wike also declared that all youth groups found to be involved in cultism would be dissolved by the state government. He noted that under the current dispensation, the government and people of the state would take their fate in their hands by collectively addressing the security challenges.
“Enough is enough. Nobody arrested by security agencies for cultism will see the light of the day. If you say, we will not sleep, you also not sleep. Every logistic has been provided for security agencies to tackle the insecurity,” he said.
Wike warned that any top government official caught in the process of trying to work out the release of arrested suspected cultists and kidnappers would face the full weight of the law.
