SPEECH:WE HAVE A STATE AND PEOPLE TO PROTECT

 

By His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri
Executive Governor,
Adamawa State.
Yola, 31st – July, 2023
    
Fellow Citizens,
The sad event of yesterday, Sunday, 30th-July, has necessitated that I address you once again. The attack on Government warehouse is a criminal activity that must be condemned by all of us. The perpetrators of this heinous activity and their accomplice would certainly be dealt with as criminals. There indeed cannot be any situation that would justifiably 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 all 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. The Government certainly has a role to play, but more importantly parents must wake up to their responsibilities.
We must collectively, cooperate to deal with these hoodlums who have found it convenient to break into our warehouses and loot at their own convenience.
If we don’t do this today, chances are that their next destination would be our homes and businesses.
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. There are some of us who contested and lost election and feels that the only way to play their bitter politics is to distract us by inducing trouble that would sap our energy. We shall deal decisively with anyone who aided and abetted this callous slide into anarchy.         
Fellow Citizens, I reassure you of our continuous commitment to the protection of your lives and property.
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.
In view of the fact that the situation at the moment is relatively calm, with advice from the security agencies, the 24hr curfew regime earlier imposed in the State capital is hereby reviewed to 12 hours from dusk to dawn.
We regret any inconveniences caused by the curfew regimes. This is done in the best interest of public peace and security.    
Fellow citizens, as a responsible Government, we are sensitive to the harsh economic realities and are putting down measures to cushion the effect of the hardship on all of us. But this has to be done wholistically in a manner that would carry every citizen along. It is our fervent wish that the palliatives reach every household in the State. While we continue to investigate and prosecute these hoodlums, I want to assure you that our planned rollout of the palliative is still on course irrespective of this major setback.
I must appreciate the combine efforts of our security agencies for working round the clock to ensure that normalcy is returned.
 

Thank you and God bless Adamawa State.