The Abia State government has refuted a social media report claiming that it owes Nigerian soldiers who are part of its multi-agency security task force, Operation Crush.
In a statement by Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, the Abia State government dismissed the report as misleading and completely false.
The government clarified that it has been timely in meeting its obligations to the anti-crime task force, and this prompt payment has played a crucial role in combating violent crimes and dismantling kidnapping networks, particularly in the Umunneochi-Uturu-Okigwe area of the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway.
The Otti-led administration has attributed the social media report to “enemies of the state who have lost their political power.” They have urged the public to ignore the report claiming that they owe money to the soldiers.
Additionally, the state government has begun the process of paying off the eight years’ worth of salary arrears owed to the staff of the Abia State judiciary.
The statement reads in part: “Only two days ago, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), the umbrella association of judicial workers in Abia State, wrote to thank Governor Otti for living up to his promise to pay the arrears of their Consolidated Judiciary Staff Salary Structure (CONJUSS), which had remained outstanding since 2015.
“The workers, through their union leader and chairman, Oracle Chinedu Eze, expressed their gratitude to Governor Otti and the government of Abia State for fulfilling the promise of salary payments.”
