₦airaland Forum

Governor Peter Mbah’s aggressive investment in intelligence, technology and inter-agency security operations is yielding results, with Enugu increasingly demonstrating its capacity to disrupt kidnapping networks and protect residents, businesses and investors, writes Gideon Arinze Government

For Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, the fight against insecurity is not merely about responding to crimes after they have occurred. It is increasingly a deliberate strategy to make the state hostile to criminal networks, strengthen the capacity of security agencies, restore public confidence and create an environment where residents, businesses and investors can operate without fear.

That strategy is beginning to produce measurable results. The latest breakthrough came with the arrest of 14 suspected kidnappers linked to a network that has allegedly operated across Enugu and several other states, including Rivers, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.

The arrests, according to the Enugu State Police Command, have opened another major window into the operations of organised kidnapping syndicates that had previously exploited interstate boundaries, local intelligence networks and the difficult terrain around some communities.

The suspects were paraded by the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, who disclosed that the Command had recovered five AK-47 rifles, two pump-action rifles, one locally fabricated firearm, 310 rounds of live 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, eight live cartridges and seven empty AK-47 magazines.

For a state that has had to contend with kidnapping and other violent crimes in some locations in the past, the message is that Enugu’s security agencies are becoming increasingly capable of tracking criminals beyond the point of attack.

This is precisely the security environment Governor Mbah has sought to create since assuming office. The governor’s approach has been anchored on the understanding that security is foundational to virtually every other ambition of government.

A state cannot attract investment if businesses are afraid to operate. It cannot expand tourism if visitors are worried about their safety. It cannot create jobs if economic activity is disrupted by criminality. It cannot persuade residents to invest their resources locally if they lack confidence in the ability of the state to protect lives and property.

Mbah has therefore consistently connected security to his broader economic transformation agenda. His administration has set an ambitious target of growing Enugu’s economy from about $4.4 billion to $30 billion. But the governor has acknowledged that such an objective would remain largely aspirational if the state could not first establish an environment of safety and stability.

This explains why security has received such prominence in the administration’s development strategy.
The recent police operation demonstrates how that investment is increasingly translating into operational capability.

According to Giwa, two of the suspects arrested were linked directly to the August 2 kidnapping incident at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Inoyi-Affa, in Udi Local Government Area.

Following the attack, security agencies intensified operations to locate the perpetrators. Two of the suspects reportedly fled Enugu and regrouped with their associates in Port Harcourt. Rather than allowing the movement across state lines to frustrate the investigation, security operatives maintained the pressure.

The suspects were eventually arrested following further intelligence-led operations by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Violent Crime Response Unit.

The development is significant because organised criminal groups often rely on mobility as a shield. They exploit the boundaries between states, moving from one jurisdiction to another after carrying out operations. A successful security response therefore requires more than police presence at crime scenes. It requires the ability to gather intelligence, follow suspects, share information and sustain investigations across jurisdictions.

That is increasingly the model being pursued in Enugu. The police said preliminary investigations had linked the arrested suspects to several kidnapping operations, including incidents along the Enugu-Ugwuogo-Opi-Nsukka Road, the Obioma-9th Mile-Umulumgbe-Okpatu axis, the Eke-Affa-Egede-Ezinze corridor and other locations in Ezeagu Local Government Area.

Investigators linked the suspects to the May 25 abduction of a male victim at Mgbabuowa/Aguobuowa in Ezeagu, during which a ransom of N5 million was reportedly collected. They were also linked to the May 9 abduction of two male victims at Obioma, Udi, during which a female victim was allegedly shot and killed and $28,700 reportedly obtained as ransom.

Another case involved the April 10 abduction of two male victims along the Eke-Ezinze Road, for which the gang allegedly obtained $70,000. In another incident on April 12, seven people were reportedly kidnapped at Obinaofia, Ezeagu, with N25 million allegedly paid as ransom.

Taken together, the cases indicate that the security challenge was not the work of isolated criminals acting spontaneously. Rather, the police described an organised network with members operating from different parts of the country.

The network allegedly had local support within Enugu, including individuals who provided transportation and intelligence.

One Enugu-based member, according to the police, operated a tricycle and allegedly transported gang members, firearms and other criminal equipment to and from operational locations. Another allegedly supplied information that helped the gang evade security surveillance and identify targets.

This aspect of the investigation is particularly important because it demonstrates that combating insecurity is not simply a matter of confronting armed criminals in forests or on highways. It also requires dismantling the support systems that enable them to operate.

Governor Mbah’s administration has repeatedly emphasised this broader understanding of security.
The state’s investment in intelligence, surveillance and technology is designed not merely to react to criminal activity but to identify threats early, improve coordination and provide security agencies with the information required to intervene.

One of the most important components of this architecture is the ultramodern Enugu State Command and Control Centre, supported by AI-enabled cameras deployed across the state.

The significance of this infrastructure was recently underscored by security experts from the National Institute for Security Studies, Abuja, who visited Enugu as part of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 19 study tour.

Dr. Olusola Opa-Ola, a staff member of the institute, singled out the command-and-control infrastructure for commendation, describing it as a potent tool for combating insecurity.

His assessment provides an independent indication of how the state’s security investments are being perceived by professionals whose work is directly connected to national security and intelligence management.

According to him, the command-and-control system had assisted the state in curbing insecurity, identifying grey areas and improving its ability to prevent crime.

He urged other states to study and replicate the model, arguing that stronger state-level security infrastructure could reduce the pressure on the Federal Government and enable state governments to respond more effectively to security threats.

The recommendation is significant because it reinforces a central element of Mbah’s security philosophy: government must have the political will and institutional capacity to invest in security.

For years, insecurity in different parts of Nigeria has frequently been discussed in terms of insufficient personnel, inadequate equipment, poor intelligence and weak coordination. While those challenges remain relevant, the Enugu experience suggests that deliberate investment in infrastructure and coordination can substantially improve the state’s ability to respond. History

The command-and-control centre provides the technological backbone. Intelligence gathering provides the information. Security agencies provide the operational capacity. Inter-agency collaboration provides the reach. Community cooperation provides another critical layer.

Together, these components create a security system that is considerably more difficult for criminal networks to penetrate.

The August 2 attack on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church also illustrates the administration’s determination not to allow an isolated security breach to become a permanent source of fear.

Following the attack, a joint operation involving the Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Police, Enugu State Forest Guard and other security personnel reportedly engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun battle.

Three suspects were subsequently arrested, while one of the alleged criminals died during the operation.

Two of the three kidnapped victims, Seminarian Lawrence Igbo and Emmanuel Onwudi, regained their freedom and reportedly identified the arrested suspects as their abductors.

The administration’s message, as conveyed by Secretary to the State Government Prof. Chidiebere Onyia on behalf of the governor, was unequivocal: criminals may run, but they cannot hide indefinitely.

That stance has become one of the defining characteristics of the state’s security response. Rather than treating insecurity as an inevitable condition, the administration has sought to establish the principle that criminality carries consequences.

The government has also sought to draw a clear distinction between ordinary citizens and those who actively facilitate criminal operations. While citizens are encouraged to cooperate with security agencies, those who provide information, transportation, logistics or other assistance to criminal networks are being warned that they too will face investigation and prosecution.

This is critical because organised kidnapping thrives on local support. Criminals may carry the weapons, but they often require local intelligence to identify vulnerable targets, understand terrain, monitor security movements and escape after an operation. Breaking that chain of support can be as important as arresting the gunmen themselves. Crime& Justice

The police investigation into the 14 suspects has reportedly uncovered precisely such a structure. The suspects allegedly concealed or invested proceeds from their criminal activities in livestock and properties, while some of the money was also spent on lavish lifestyles and foreign trips, including journeys to Cameroon. This points to another dimension of the security challenge: kidnapping has become a business model for organised criminal groups.

The objective of dismantling such networks therefore cannot end with the arrest of gunmen. Authorities must also follow the money, identify assets acquired with ransom proceeds, establish financial links and prevent criminal enterprises from converting illicit wealth into legitimate-looking investments.

The Enugu Police Command has indicated that investigations are continuing to determine the suspects’ involvement in other crimes and identify additional members of the network.

That continuing investigation could prove as important as the arrests themselves. Every additional suspect identified, every weapon recovered, every financial trail followed and every intelligence gap closed weakens the network’s capacity to reorganise.

It is also an indication that the state’s security strategy is moving beyond episodic operations towards sustained pressure. This is where Mbah’s security policy intersects with his economic agenda.

Security is not simply a law-enforcement issue. It is an economic development issue. A safer Enugu creates the conditions for increased investment. Increased investment creates jobs. Jobs expand household incomes. Expanded incomes stimulate consumption. Productive economic activity expands the state’s revenue base, which in turn gives government greater capacity to invest in infrastructure and social services.

Security is therefore the foundation upon which the rest of the agenda rests. For a state determined to transform its economy and reposition itself as an investment destination, making security not just a response to insecurity, but an essential pillar of development will definitely be one of Governor Mbah’s most consequential achievements

saintbillion:
Don't dare drop at Enugu at night if ur a traveler, especially that peace park and old park side. They will run u street

Tabithatim:
https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/22/how-mbah-is-turning-enugu-into-a-no-go-area-for-criminals/#

koladata:
There is always someone that is against progress

saintbillion:
Bro I'm telling u first class experience.

Tabithatim:
Governor Peter Mbah’s aggressive investment in intelligence, technology and inter-agency security operations is yielding results, with Enugu increasingly demonstrating its capacity to disrupt kidnapping networks and protect residents, businesses and investors, writes Gideon Arinze Government

For Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, the fight against insecurity is not merely about responding to crimes after they have occurred. It is increasingly a deliberate strategy to make the state hostile to criminal networks, strengthen the capacity of security agencies, restore public confidence and create an environment where residents, businesses and investors can operate without fear.

anonimi:
NUT commends Oyo over recruitment of 19,500 teachers

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State, has commended Governor Seyi Makinde-led government for recruiting 19,500 teachers in five years.

The union, in a statement signed by the NUT Chairman, Oladimeji Raji and the Secretary, Salami Olukayode, noted that the appointment of 5,000 teachers in his first term and 14,500 since the inception of his second term into the state primary and secondary schools was noteworthy.

The union said the ripple effects of the recruitment were that it would address the problems of inadequate manpower in the education sector and promote teaching and learning.

The statement read, “Your disposition towards turning the tide of the education system of Oyo State remains unprecedented and unmatched not only in the annals of recruitment history of our dear state in recent times but also across the entire 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

“Your Excellency Sir, your achievements in the education sector since assumption of office particularly, on the successful recruitment of over 14,000 qualified teaching professionals and about 3,500 non- teaching personnel, aside from an appreciative number of caregivers is a clear cut and a perfect reflection of your results-oriented style of leadership aimed at providing free, qualitative and quantitative education to the amiable citizens of Oyo State. This gesture shall, without doubt, have a significant touch in our classroom and as well enhance educational service delivery to our school children.”

https://punchng.com/nut-commends-oyo-over-recruitment-of-19500-teachers/?amp

koladata:
No place is 100 percent safe in the world, if it didn't involve life at this present situation of Nigeria then i would consider it safe.

We are talking kidnaping, killings, boko haram and not snatching of bags or phones

HacheNoire:
Sincerely, I am jealous of Enugu State!
The state got it right this time!
At this pace, No way the state is not going to become the destination for investors in the South East.
Nevertheless, More still needs to be done. His Excellency needs to curb cult activity and menace in that state as they happen to be the only security challenge of the state.
Enugu is a peaceful state of you remove cultism.
I still have strong conviction that my first real estate investment in the south east will be in Enugu.

InvertedHammer:
/
It is by far better than Enugu.

500 gallons of water go for N20k. Multiply by 4 in a month, that's N80k. By extrapolation, that's N960k in a year on water alone. Why? Because the governor believes that clean and accessible water is the least of his worries. Yet they prance around like Enugu is Abuja even though the red muddy soil will have residents looking like they went tomb-raiding at night.

But then, considering where it was before Peter Mba, one can understand the accolades being that he moved the town from 16th Century to 17th Century but not anywhere near 20th Century. 21st Century is a stretch. EEDC? The worst of all.

/

fergie001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5v-F81hNTs

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources in Lagos State, Mahmood Adegbite, has said that people drilling borehole in the Lekki axis of the state is probably drinking ‘’shit water.”

While speaking at a stakeholders meeting in the state recently, Adegbite noted that contaminated boreholes in Lekki pose health risk and added that treatment of waste water would eradicate any form of disease that may arise from it.

He said, “On waste water treatment, I will say that everyone digging borehole within the Lekki axis is probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water.’

https://punchng.com/video-everyone-digging-borehole-in-lekki-is-probably-drinking-shit-water-lagos-govt/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMABDJjbGNrAwAEK2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEewOd7728C0FSKQJNWar4yKRxNpNKt1owSlw47y57FKAux2QxvQL24Iu18rtw_aem_3kB5Sd2GjpdqjN6zFuIs7w

DropsMic:
Peter Mbah the PR machine

Ofunaofu:
Report: Current Govt Added More Debt in Two Years Than Nigeria Accumulated in 55 Years

• Decries Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio

•Urges FG to declare fiscal emergency

A new policy brief has warned that Nigeria’s worsening debt profile and weak revenue generation have pushed the country into a dangerous fiscal position, with the current administration accumulating more debt in two years than Nigeria recorded during its first 55 years after independence.

The report, released by the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics LTD/GTE, a Nigerian policy think tank, argued that the country’s debt crisis has evolved into a governance and revenue emergency, as debt servicing obligations now exceed the federal government’s retained earnings.
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According to the think tank, Nigeria’s public debt rose sharply from N87.38 trillion in June 2023 to N159.28 trillion by the end of 2025, with President Bola Tinubu’s administration accounting for about N65.9 trillion of the increase within its first two years in office.

The organisation in the brief titled: “Nigeria Is Borrowing to Breathe—and the Clock Is Ticking”, noted that Nigeria accumulated only about N12.06 trillion in debt from independence in 1960 up to 2015, meaning the current administration added more than five times that amount in just 24 months.

The report stated that while previous governments also contributed significantly to the country’s rising debt burden, the speed of accumulation under the current administration had intensified concerns over fiscal sustainability.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has added a further N65.9 trillion in just two years. To put that in perspective: it took Nigeria’s first 55 years of independence to accumulate N12 trillion in debt. The current administration has added more than five times that amount in 24 months,” it argued.

It recalled that Nigeria briefly became almost debt-free externally after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo secured an $18 billion Paris Club debt relief package in 2005 and paid $12 billion to extinguish about $30 billion in external obligations.


https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/05/22/report-current-govt-added-more-debt-in-two-years-than-nigeria-accumulated-in-55-years/

anonimi:
Jealous of the state for its failure to make water available to residents, like other states? Is that how it was before 1999, or before 1960?
Is that how it still is in Chicago, London, Paris, Toronto etc

The federal government is not responsible for water supply in cities and towns. This is the responsibility of states.


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HacheNoire:
What did the previous administration do?
If you must judge, you are mandated to extend a big portion of the blame to past administrations.
Even if water issue is to be addressed today, it cannot be completed in 4 years.
It now takes us to the question, what did previous administration do?
You MUST accept that this is the best governor Enugu has had in last 3 decades.
The state is moving in the right direction. Consistency is the only thing required now.

eluquenson:
REVISITING SOME OF THE LATEEF JAKANDE'S GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENTS FROM OCTOBER 1979 TO DECEMBER 1983 (FOUR YEARS AND 3 MONTHS) IN LAGOS STATE

* His government built the current Lagos State Secretariat which houses all the state ministries as well as the popular round house hitherto occupied by all subsequent governors of the state.

* His government built the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.

* His government built the Lagos State Television

* His government built the Lagos Radio

* His government built Lagos State University

* His government established General Hospital in zones all over the state with assurance of free health care.

* His government established Teacher Training College and the College of Education.

* His government built low cost houses in Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Amuwo-Odofin, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry, Isheri/Olowu, Orisigun etc.

* His government established the Water Management Board and Waste Disposal Board on the 18th of August, 1980.

* His government constructed the Adiyan Water Works to increase water supply in the state to 18.16 million litres per day.

* His government modernized and expanded the Iju Water Works which was first commissioned in 1915. This increased daily capacity from 159 million to 204 million litres per day.

* His government purchased and commissioned the giant car crusher equipment. The equipment was designed specifically to crush derelict vehicles in Lagos State. It had the capacity to crush 45 vehicles per day.

* His government constructed, rehabilitated and resurfaced Epe/Ijebu-Ode Road, Oba Akran Avenue, Toyin Street, Town Planning Way, Alimosho-Idimu-Egbe Road, Idimu-Iba-LASU Road, the new secretariat road and several others.

* His government constructed Victoria Island/Epe Road and thereby creating an ‘oil rig’ for Lagos State.

* His government established Asphalt Plant for the Department of Public Works.

* His government established Electricity Board for Rural Electrification with provision of street lights.

* His government modernized, expanded and commissioned Onikan Stadium in 1982.

* His government established a singular school system and ensured genuine free education in Lagos State and the beneficiaries of this policy are in different positions of eminence in the country and around the world.

* His government raised the primary schools in Lagos State to 812 with 533,001 pupils (against 605 primary schools with 434,545 pupils he met in 1979) and secondary schools to 223 with 167,629 students (against 105 schools with 107,835 students in 1979).

* His government constructed 11, 729 classrooms with the maximum of 40 children per class between March and August 1980, by 1983, he had constructed over 22,000 classrooms.

* In July 1983, two commercial passenger boats christened "Baba Kekere and Itafaji" to run the Mile 2 - Marina (CMS) route via the lagoons were inaugurated by his government to mark the official launch of the Lagos State ferry services.

* His government took over the ownership and financing of Lagos State Printing Corporation in July 1980

* His government established the first State Traffic Management Authority (Road Marshals).

* His government established small scale Industries Credit Scheme which preceded the EKO bank.

*His government established LASACO Insurance.

*His government expanded existing market and built new ones.

*His government established Traditional Medicine Board.

WHO SAYS 4 YEARS IN OFFICE IS NOT ENOUGH FOR MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENTS?

IT'S A FACT THAT 90% OF GOVERNORS IN NIGERIA SINCE 1999 WITH REVENUES AT THEIR DISPOSAL CANNOT BOAST OF A QUARTER OF THESE ACHIEVEMENTS EVEN WITHIN THEIR EIGHT YEARS IN OFFICE.

anonimi:
Why are you so eager to show off your Stockholm syndrome status at every opportunity?


https://www.nairaland.com/post/125340351


How much of what Jakande did in just four years has been replicated by Tinubu, Fashola, Ambode and Sanwo -Olu in 27 years of growing Lagos budget 100 times to N4.2 trillion from higher tax burden on Lagosians who now drink water from shitty boreholes unlike the situation 46 years ago?

How does that look like progress to you

HacheNoire:
What did the previous administration do?

If you must judge, you are mandated to extend a big portion of the blame to past administrations.

Even if water issue is to be addressed today, it cannot be completed in 4 years.

It now takes us to the question, what did previous administration do?

You MUST accept that this is the best governor Enugu has had in last 3 decades.

The state is moving in the right direction. Consistency is the only thing required now.

saintbillion:
My brother Enugu own worse pass. I was born and brought up in Enugu, I even schooled in UNN. Enugu was peaceful, but men the last time I traveled. Enter at night from peace park. In less than 1 hour, what i was hearing is shout from different people. I had to ask. Them say na thieves dey snatched their properties. Before 5am, more than 10 cries had occurred.

HacheNoire:
Sincerely, I am jealous of Enugu State!

The state got it right this time!

At this pace, No way the state is not going to become the destination for investors in the South East.

Nevertheless, More still needs to be done. His Excellency needs to curb cult activity and menace in that state as they happen to be the only security challenge of the state.

Enugu is a peaceful state of you remove cultism.

I still have strong conviction that my first real estate investment in the south east will be in Enugu.

SmartPolician:
Stop writing nonsense here, Mr. Man

Tabithatim:
https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/22/how-mbah-is-turning-enugu-into-a-no-go-area-for-criminals/#