Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has confirmed two separate kidnap attempts in Olokoro and Ubakala communities in Umuahia South Local Government Area, assuring residents that security agencies are fully on top of the situation. Speaking in Umuahia on Friday during his February media chat with journalists, the governor said he had been briefed by the Abia State Commissioner of Police on the incidents, which he described as isolated.
“I am aware of those incidents and I can assure you that the police are on top of them,” Otti stated. “I actually got a report from the Commissioner of Police on the two incidents today. They are isolated incidents but they happened all the same. “And because they happened, we need to put procedures and everything in place to ensure that they don’t repeat. But I can assure you that they are isolated and we have in place measures to ensure that those do not happen anymore.”
The incidents, which occurred the previous week, reportedly involved individuals suspected to be cattle herders. The suspects were said to have fled the scene following the swift intervention of operatives of the Abia State Homeland Security. Governor Otti reiterated his administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, noting that proactive steps were being taken to strengthen surveillance and rapid response mechanisms across vulnerable communities in the state.
During the media interaction, the governor also reviewed his administration’s performance across critical sectors of the Abia economy, highlighting infrastructure renewal, economic revitalisation, and security reforms. He provided further clarification on the ownership structure of the recently flagged-off Enyimba Hotel reconstruction project in Aba. According to him, the hotel is predominantly owned by the Abia State Government. “Abia State Government owns 80 per cent.
The balance of 20 per cent is owned by the families of ACCIMA — Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture — members who had invested in the hotel,” Otti explained. “By the time we valued everything, we got valuers and what they are entitled to is 20 per cent.” The governor said the reconstruction of the hotel forms part of broader efforts to reposition Aba as a major commercial and hospitality hub, attract investment, and stimulate job creation within the state.
He assured residents that his administration would continue to prioritise security and economic development, maintaining that isolated security breaches would not derail the state’s progress trajectory.
