The Governor of the Cross River State, Ben Ayade, has assured that the streets of Calabar will be completely free from miscreants and street children popularly referred to as Skolombo boys, who have for sometime now been threatening the peace and serenity of the state.
Mr Ayade said this while addressing officers and men of the state’s Quick Response Squad at its Emergency Center, in company of service commanders in Calabar.
With the code named Operation Skolombo, Ayade pledged to strengthen and empower security agencies in the state, in order to achieve effective operational exercise and in turn ensure maximum security of lives and property of investors, tourists and residents in the state.
Scolombo boys literally means, a dangerous and mindless gang constituted by destitute or street boys and girls that roam the streets freely, without father or mother and homes.
Reports say that they live in the open and could go for days without taking their bath.
Their stories are the same in almost all the major streets of Calabar with touching tales of being driven away from their original homes either by their foster parents or step mothers, following the death of one of their biological parents.
They have been accused of looting shops, pick-pocketing, snatching hand bags and other criminal activities, leaving residents in fear.
It is in view of this that Governor Ayade, in company of his deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, and service commanders met with different security agencies in the state to solicit their cooperation in ensuring a security threat free state for investors, tourists and residents of the state.
Ayade further disclosed that kidnappers, upon being convicted in the state, will face death penalties.
The new security outfit, Operation Skolombo, will commence operation as soon as adequate mobility is provided by the state government to the security agencies which the state government has promised to make available before the expiration of his first 100 days in office.
