The Cross River government has stated that the laws against kidnapping will be strengthened to stem the tide of insecurity in the state.
The speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Eteng Jonas Williams, who disclosed this in Calabar during a presentation and validation of the reports on insecurity in Calabar recently, said there is urgent need to overhaul the security architecture to be able to tackle the new crime trend.
According to the speaker, “There are lots of things happening to us and the worst is insecurity and we cannot sleep with our two eyes closed.
“The House will look at the anti-kidnapping laws of the state and review where necessary. Besides, we shall sensitize the people so that they know the gravity of the crimes they commit.
“We will ensure that the laws are all-encompassing for today and also for tomorrow”, the speaker stated.
Also speaking, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, the convener of the Niger Delta Dialogue (NDD), said insecurity is the biggest threat to the region and this made them engage independent researchers to work to unravel the causes of insecurity in the region.
She said the dialogue would also help in providing empirical evidence on the basis of conflicts in the region and understand the factors behind this in a state by state basis.
In his presentation, Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw, the state chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), commended the NDD for checking the menace of insecurity and pledged the support of PANDEF in this regard.
The event facilitated by the Niger Delta Dialogue Secretariat and sponsored by the European Union was the first of its kind in the state.
Secretary to the state government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem; with head of civil service, Elder Effiong Essien; chairman, Civil Service Commission, Mr Sunday Akpadiaha; permanent secretaries, others during the capacity workshop for senior civil servants in Uyo, recently.
