Cleric bemoans high rate of robbery incidents in Calabar

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Cleric bemoans high rate of robbery incidents in Calabar
By; Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
A cleric in Calabar, Bishop Emmah Isong has decried high rate of robbery incidents and insecurity in some parts of the state capital and called on security agents to rise up to the challenge to ensure security of lives and property.
The General Overseer of Christian Central Chapel International, urged the media in the state to be proactive in reporting and exposing what he described as “nefarious activities” of these criminals.
He said though the state government was doing its best in trying to tackle insecurity, it is not enough to checkmate the hoodlums. Isong made the challenge weekend when he received members of the central planning committee for the 2015 NUJ Media week in Calabar.
He asserted that early reportage of these incidents will attract the attention of the security agents whose duties it is to protect lives and property of citizens for prompt action.
“I am greatly worried by the high rate of armed robbery and other criminal activities going on in some areas in Calabar. Imagine a situation where armed robbery gang raids a particular area on daily basis, with no obstruction and nobody is saying or doing anything about it. Sometimes the security operatives only arrive after the raids have been completed and people robbed and beaten in their homes; this is unacceptable” the Bishop stressed.
He advised media practitioners to be objective and sincere in carrying out their duties, assuring that there was always a reward for hard-work and sincerity.
He also lamented the high level of poverty in the country, noting that many Nigerians now walk the streets on empty stomach. “When I go out, I see people complain of hunger and starvation. Whenever I come back I see people waiting to ask me for something to eat. They will tell me clearly that, this is not the issue of money, they need something to eat. It is a very serious matter. We know that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop” he lamented.
He called on government at all levels to embark on policies that would directly impact on the citizenry rather than undertaking white elephant projects.
Earlier, Mr Judex Okoro, Chairman of the media week planning committee said the visit was to intimate the Bishop who is the Patron of the union in the state on the programme lined up for the week-long event and for him to make his input. He requested for the physical presence of the Patron especially during the football finals and the public lecture.
Comrade Ndoma Akpet, chairman of Cross River Council of NUJ, assured the clergy that the media would rise up to its responsibility in reporting insecurity in Calabar and the state in general.
The media week holds between 22 and 28 November, 2015.

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