Owing to the worsening security situation in Anambra State, the governor, Chukwuma Soludo, last Wednesday, placed eight local government areas under curfew.
Soludo had declared curfew in the eight local government areas of the state due to heightened insecurity.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in a statewide broadcast, enjoined the people of the state to join hands with his administration to achieve his dream of making Anambra a prosperous homeland.
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra was suspected to have killed a pregnant woman, Harira Jubril, her four children, and six other northerners in Anambra State penultimate Sunday.
This occurred a few days after a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Okechukwu Okoye, was beheaded, as allegations mounted about murders by IPOB.
Reacting to the horrid incident, President Muhammadu Buhari, the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, the Northern Elders Forum, the Christian Association of Nigeria and the African Bar Association all condemned the alleged killing.
The presidency said, in a statement, that the security agencies would go after the suspected killers.
On his part, Osinbajo said the killing was not only callous, brutal and demeaning, but capable of creating ethnic conflict across the country and hence must be condemned by all.
“We say with all emphasis that this criminality is totally unacceptable, unjustifiable, and reprehensible to all right-thinking people. The security operatives must wake up to their responsibilities now. The criminals are now operating with impunity while those who are expected to stop or apprehend them appear powerless”
“What took place in Anambra with the killing of a woman and her children demeans us all. It is such a callous act and so brutal. And I think that we must be very careful, as a people, with this type of killings that are going on, especially where it is obviously to create such horror, annoyance and create a situation where we begin to have ethnic conflicts again and all that.
“And I think we must all be careful and condemn it in the strongest possible terms; there is no excuse for it whatsoever. We must not allow a situation where we get to the point where we even countenance individuals who can do this sort of thing.
“How does anyone kill a woman and her children? I think it is such a terrible tragedy condemnable by all. Mr President has spoken about it and I just want to join my voice with those of others who are completely outraged by it.”
We say with all emphasis that this criminality is totally unacceptable, unjustifiable, and reprehensible to all right-thinking people.
The security operatives must wake up to their responsibilities now. The criminals are now operating with impunity while those who are expected to stop or apprehend them appear powerless.
We agree that this cannot be the dream country of those who fought for her independence from the colonial masters.
It is disheartening and unfortunate that nowhere is safe again in the country, as killers, bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers are on a rampage in every nook and cranny of the country and all the government is able to do is issue periodic statements condemning them without any decisive action to bring culprits to book.
We join the CAN in charging the leadership of IPOB to stop the criminalities in the pretext of fighting for freedom.
Are they fighting for a country for the dead or the living? They should know that their criminalities are not helping the case of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu. They should not turn the South East to a ‘No Man’s Land’ in the interest of the founding fathers of this country, who hailed from the zone.
Their actions are not only giving Ndigbo a bad name but they are creating an atmosphere for ethno-religious wars. Will a reasonable group be committing crimes like this?
There has never been a better time than now for the leadership of Ndigbo, in particular, and other leaders to unite in openly condemning these atrocities.
In addition to killings of soldiers, policemen, public servants, and other citizens, these killers are now embarking on targeted killings clearly intended to inflame passions and trigger national or inter-communal crises.
Shocking images of the murder of northerners, including children, are being deliberately circulated by the very people who murder them, to provoke widespread anger.
We state unequivocally that there is no acceptable excuse for murder and that those who have both responsibility and capacity must step up and protect local citizenry.
We call on the political elite, religious leaders, and the traditional rulers of Ndigbo extraction to prevail on the violent groups in the eastern part of the country to stop this needless bloodshed and tension they are causing for economic prosperity and wellbeing of the region.
We equally advise against any temptation to resort to violence under the impression that revenge is a solution to the targeting of particular groups. Northerners in the South East should take all lawful steps to remain safe.
Therefore, the federal government should be seen to be proactive on security matters, as well as assure and assuage citizens’ fears at critical moments of grief.
The recurrent security challenges such as kidnappings, armed robberies, bomb blasts and attack of Boko Haram cum ISWAP insurgents, in addition to ethnic violence here and there within Nigeria is alarming.
The Federal Government needs to wake up as citizens are becoming more and more agitated.
The Federal Government should take the bull by the horn and tame the rising cases of banditry in Nigeria, otherwise, it will become a norm that cannot be challenged. Government should act fast before we are consumed by these self-inflicted maladies.
Finally, while we continue to express our sincere condolences to all the victims of these unfortunate killings, we are calling on both the politicians and non-governmental organisations to strengthen their cooperation and/or synergy aimed at finding a lasting solution to these spates of killings and destruction.
The attention of President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders in the South East is invited to note that there are dark forces at play to destroy the country under their watch.
History and circumstances have placed them in the position to exercise leadership to stop the current slide to irretrievable disaster. They do not have the luxury of indifference or inaction.
