Mbah to criminals: You can run, but can’t hide

***Commissions Centre for DNA Forensics and Investigation

ENUGU—Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State said there is no more hiding place for criminals in the state, as his administration has built the capacity to preempt, track down, and bring them to book.

Mbah sounded the warning, yesterday during the commissioning of the Centre for DNA Forensics and Criminal Investigation (CeDFoCI), a strategic partnership with the Enugu State Government, the Godfrey Okoye University, and the Nigeria DNA Learning Centre, at the university’s complex, Ugwuomu, Nike, Enugu.

This was even as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu; and the Vice Chancellor of Godfrey Okoye University, Nike, Enugu, Prof. Christian Anieke, lauded Governor Mbah’s strides in the security sector, describing the Centre as a major contribution to national security and the justice system.

Mbah described the centre as one of the most important investments by his administration in the state’s security architecture in line with the Citizens’ Charter, noting that none of those ambitions would be possible without security.

He maintained that while his administration had significantly reduced crime, more work needed to be done.

He said: “That is why we continue to invest, continue to innovate, and continue to strengthen the systems that keep our people safe. That brings us to why we are here today.

“The centre strengthens our ability to investigate crime, track criminals, support the work of law enforcement, and ensure that those who threaten the peace of our communities have fewer and fewer places to hide.

“So, to the criminals, I say this: every crime scene leaves a trace. And we can now track that trace and use it as evidence against you.

“For too long, many crimes have gone unresolved because the tools did not exist to capture and prosecute you. Now they do.

“Therefore, if you intend to harm our people, if you intend to prey on our children, if you intend to threaten our communities, understand that the state now possesses capabilities that did not previously exist.

“So, Enugu is open to investors. Enugu is open to innovators. Enugu is open to people who want to build, create, and contribute.

“But for those who seek to undermine the peace and security of our people, the message is very simple: you can run, but you cannot hide,” he said.

Speaking, the Attorney General of the Federation said, “The establishment of CeDFoCI places Enugu and Nigeria on the path of advanced jurisdictions that have integrated forensic science into the core of their security and justice architecture.

The Founding Director and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DNA Learning Centre, DNALA, Prof. George Ude, said the institutions were established to, among others, ensure that criminal investigations in Nigeria are guided by scientific truth; support courts with reliable, defensible forensic findings; anchor justice in evidence rather than uncertainty; train law enforcement officers, forensic scientists, medical professionals, students, and early-career researchers; and advance research in forensic genetics, informatics, and molecular biology.

In his goodwill message, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Calistus Onaga, represented by Rev. Fr. Victor Eze, commended the collaboration between Godfrey Okoye University and the Enugu State Government, noting that the task of nation-building could not be left to government alone.

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