Anambra State is gradually becoming a burial ground for young people. The stories of killings coming out from the state in recent times give cause for concern. It is reprehensible, despicable and condemnable.
On Sunday, October 20, 2024, some gunmen invaded Nibo community in Awka South Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, killing about 16 people. The victims were said to be celebrating Onwa Asaa, a traditional festival, when the gunmen, said to be a cult group, struck and committed the abominable act. The assailants reportedly arrived in a Lexus sport utility vehicle and immediately opened fire on the victims in a pub at Oye Nwochichi Market in the community. The killers were said to have later driven to Eke Nibo Market and killed a number of people there.
Few days after the Nibo killings, some hoodlums reportedly shot dead about seven persons in Ifite, behind Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka South LGA of Anambra State.
Awka, the capital of Anambra State, has been under the grip of cultists for some time now. In 2022, some gunmen suspected to be cultists, brutally murdered no fewer than 20 mourners at a funeral ceremony at Ebenebe in Awka-North LGA of the state. The recent killings in the state started around Easter this year. Over 20 people have been reportedly killed.
These atrocious acts further underscore the growing spate of insecurity in Anambra State and other parts of the South-East. The recurring bloodbath in the region is gradually spiralling out of control. Earlier in October 2024, gunmen kidnapped some sports journalists travelling to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, at Isseke-Orlu Road in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State. Three persons were reportedly killed while six persons were rescued by security operatives. Two police officers were also said to have been killed.
Last September, two police operatives died after some hoodlums attacked a police station at Umunze in Orumba South LGA of Anambra State. Scores of policemen have been killed in the state and the entire region in recent times.
The major cause of these criminal activities is that many of the youths from the region are idle. They have no job and their situation is worsened by the fact that they take hard drugs which make them lose value for human life. And since they have easy access to illegal arms and ammunition, they go on a killing spree from time to time.
These hoodlums have camps in different parts of the state, especially in Ihiala and Orumba South LGAs. Security agencies are aware of these camps. But why they have not effectively smoked out the criminals in their camps leaves much to be desired. The state governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, had assured on assumption of office that he would deal decisively with any form of criminality in the state. The governor appears to have no solution to the menace despite his assurances.
Security agencies also appear to be bereft of ideas on how to tackle the worsening insecurity. The police as an institution became weakened since the EndSARS protests against police brutality in 2020. Over 60 policemen were killed and over 200 police stations burnt during the protests. The attacks on policemen rose significantly in the South-East after the EndSARS protests. Many of them have been killed and their stations and operational vehicles destroyed. Hoodlums also seized some of their weapons.
The major casualty in all this is the South-East economy which is in a comatose state. Between August 2021 and July 2023, the region has lost about N7.6 trillion due to insecurity and the Monday compulsory sit-at-home exercise. Companies and people are leaving the region in droves because of this state of affairs. The zone may soon become desolate and unattractive to both local and foreign investors.
The Federal Government should not allow the South-East to be reduced to a theatre of war or danger zone. It must rise up and check the intractable bloodbath in the region. The security in Anambra and other states of the region should be beefed up and overhauled.
Security agencies in the region must be proactive. They should collaborate and share intelligence in order to nip the problem in the bud. They should also look inward with a view to fishing out saboteurs in their midst. In addition, the police should mop up illegal arms and ammunition in circulation in Nigeria.
South-East governors should stop fiddling while the region is on fire. They should emulate the South-West governors who collectively formed Operation Amotekun and have been funding the security outfit since inception in 2020. Although the South-East governors tried to form Ebubeagu Security outfit in 2021, the concept didn’t work out.
In all, the Anambra State government should take the lead in finding solutions to the spate of insecurity in the state. The state vigilance groups, together with the other security agencies, should be well equipped and supported to face criminals squarely. Citizens have a role to play. They should volunteer vital information that could lead to the apprehension of these hoodlums.