Anambra: How we arrested, prosecuted over 1000 touts, others in 9 months – Government agency

The Director, Special Anambra Anti-Touting Squad (SASA), Hon. Solomon Chukwuebuka Onwuemene, Wednesday, revealed that the agency has arrested over a thousand persons involved in touting and other criminalities within its nine months of existence.

Onwuemene, whose agency was established in 2023, disclosed this in an exclusive interview at Awka, adding that some of the suspects had been rehabilitated and engaged in meaningful ventures while those prosecuted and found guilty were facing the consequences of their actions in accordance with extant laws.

According to him, some of those rehabilitated had benefitted from governor Chukwuma Soludo’s one-youth-two skills, among other government programmes and initiative geared towards empowering the youth with skills and resources to become self employed and employers of labour.

He recalled that the governor founded SASA to ensure sanity in the State in a bid to achieve a liveable and prosperous State for all, while combating crimes, including touting, cultism, one chance, pickpocketing, illegal gathering, indecency, extortions, unlawful collection of revenues, among other crimes.

The SASA boss, therefore, charged the public to always avail them with useful information capable of assisting them in totally eradicating touting so as to provide enabling environment for businesses to thrive and people trade or sleep without harassment.

“Come to me and I will help you secure employment through the one-youth-two skills. We don’t want to see people engaging in touting, stealing, crimes and criminalities. If we arrest you, we will prosecute you. But if you surrender yourself, we will rehabilitate and help you secure job. 

“There is no gain in engaging in cultism and other vices. You expose yourself to death, maiming and some other negative feelings. But if you acquire a skill and get something doing, it will be very difficult for you to commit crimes,” he maintained.