Sanitizing the operation of Agunechemba in Anambra State

By Chris Okey Udeze

The need to disarm members of Agunechemba ahead of the Anambra state governorship election cannot be over stressed.

There is no doubt that the group played a key role in complimenting the police in bringing about the current reduction in the spate of kidnapping in Anambra state. The truth must be said. The dislodging of most of the kidnappers camp in Anambra forest was largely through the instrumentality of the Agunechemba group.

This does not however, take away the fact that the operation of the group is largely incongruous. The operatives are not screened at the point of being recruited. The fact that they do not have referees means that they can easily drop out of sight without a trace which is why some of them take to crime and violent conduct. The cases of this abound.

Apart from about four hundred Agunechemba operatives that were recently trained by the police in the state at the instance of the state government, the rest of them have no basic training. The number of the untrained operatives runs into tens of thousands. What is worst is the fact that the arms used by the members of the group are not documented. It is therefore very difficult if not impossible to control and monitor their use of the arms.

This portends a great danger for everyone in the state and something needs to be done urgently to instill sanity in the operation of Agunechemba. The imminent danger needs to be immediately averted and can only be averted through an intentional and conscious effort.

During the 2010 Anambra state governorship election and the 2011 general elections, it was possible to disarm the vigilante groups before the election and re-arm them immediately after the election because the Anambra state police command had a comprehensive record of vigilante arms and operatives. This was made possible by the database developed for the command by Exotic Data Solution Providers limited who acted as the police consultant during this period. The two elections went down in history as the most peaceful election in recent times in Anambra state.

Another governorship election is around the corner which some of the main contestants see as a ‘’do or die’’ election. The fear of a blood bath is not unfounded if the situation remains unchecked. This becomes more disturbing with the inglorious role members of the Agunechemba group played in the just concluded Anambra South Senatorial election. No one has a monopoly of violence.

Anambra state must not be allowed to be reduced to a theatre of war. No election or indeed anyone’s aspiration is worth the spilling of the blood of innocent Anambrarians.

The Inspector General of Police must, as a matter of extreme urgency, order the immediate documenting of vigilante arms and operative by the police. This should be done and concluded within the next few weeks. The process to mop up all undocumented arms and also arrest and disarm all unregistered Agunchemba operatives must be immediately put in place.

We must consciously work towards a peaceful post election Anambra state. A stitch in time will save nine!