The Imo State Government has intensified its crackdown on criminal activities in Owerri and its environs, demolishing shanties allegedly used as hideouts by pickpockets, phone snatchers, and other criminals.

 

The operation, carried out on Thursday at Avu Junction in Owerri West Local Government Area, followed a resurgence of makeshift structures that had earlier been cleared.

 

Speaking to journalists, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, Nze Chinasa Nwaneri, said the renewed action became necessary after intelligence reports revealed that the shanties had been quickly rebuilt and were once again being used as criminal bases.

 

“On our arrival at the area, we discovered that the same shanties we cleared earlier had resurfaced and were being used for criminal activities,” Nwaneri explained.

 

Security operatives who accompanied the enforcement team reportedly recovered arms and other dangerous weapons during the operation. These were immediately handed over to the relevant authorities.

 

The Avu Junction axis, located behind the Owerri correctional facility, has in recent weeks been identified as a notorious black spot where criminal elements converged.

 

Residents who witnessed the demolition expressed gratitude to the state government, describing the move as a bold step toward making their environment safer.

 

Nwaneri reaffirmed Governor Hope Uzodinma’s commitment to ridding the state of crime, stressing that there will be no hiding place for criminal elements.

 

“The governor has given a clear directive: there must be no room for criminals in the state,” he said, adding that similar operations will be carried out in other identified black spots to ensure criminal gangs are permanently denied operational bases.