The wave of insecurity in the South-East zone of the country has reached an alarming state, with blood chilling incidents of daylight killings.
However, two States in the zone have taken the lead, with heightened state of insecurity. They are Imo and Anambra States.
While some of the cases of insecurity in both States can be attributed to cultism, the larger chunk of it is attributable to agitation for a separate State, as being championed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
For cultism, its state in Anambra State is alarming, with very little being done to curtail it by security forces. In Awka, the capital of Anambra State, cult related killings have become a major occurrence, with one incident or the other being witnessed every week.
Last weekend, not less than 20 people were killed in a burial ceremony in Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area, where a suspected cultist was billed to be buried. Sources in the community said the deceased was a known cultist who had participated in several operations, killing rivals, and that his rivals had warned that as such he was not worthy of being given a proper burial. When his family members attempted to hold a burial for him, it resulted in the invasion of the area and its attendant casualties, and so far, no news of any arrest has been heard by security agencies.
But the bigger threat facing the people of Anambra is the persistence of rampaging gunmen, who have been dubbed: unknown gunmen (UGM). When the threat first reared its head in 2020, it had been attributed to the then upcoming governorship election in the State. Though there were suspicions that the gunmen were members of IPOB, many insisted the attacks were politically motivated, while IPOB leadership washed its hands off it. But long after the governorship election, the attacks have continued in Anambra, leaving many with apprehension on when the attacks will abate.
In the last two weeks, Anambra has witnessed a series of attacks from gunmen, to the extent that some parts of Anambra State have been described as no-go-areas because of the prevalence of attacks there. Such areas are primarily towns that have borders with Imo State, where some separatist elements are said to be using as camps.
Last week, the father of Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, winner of the 2021 Nigeria Prize for Literature, Prof. I.O Onyemelukwe was killed. The 84-year-old scholar was said to have travelled to Enugu from his community, Nanka, and was on his way back when the incident happened. He was said to have opted for the Umunze route, instead of using the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, but he unfortunately ran into the gunmen at Oko axis, who killed him, while abducting two men, who were said to have failed to answer questions posed on them by the gunmen over the agitation for a sovereign State.
Also, between Friday and Sunday, last two weeks, the Orsumoghu-Azia-Mbosi-Ihiala road, witnessed about four attacks, leading to warnings on social media not to ply the above route for any reason whatsoever. It has been proven to be a major security flash point. These hoodlums known as unknown gunmen have taken over the place, randomly, wreaking havoc to lives and property.”
Also, Chief Gab Ofoma (Ojemba Enweilo Nnewi) Chairman/CEO of Ofoma Associates Ltd, a known businessman based in Port-Harcourt was gunned down in cold blood as his driver made a detour from Onitsha-Owerri highway enroute Port Harcourt, due to traffic jam on the expressway.
We must address the root cause of this anomaly and not just the symptoms. We must go back to the drawing board, reassess our value system, emphasize moral values and uphold the sanctity of human life. Importantly, we must assemble as soon as possible, the thought leaders, political, traditional, women, and youth leaders need to come together and re-evaluate our moral code. We must take steps to arrest this development before it consumes us all. Bringing a spiritual angle into the quest for solution, Catholic Bishops in Anambra State, under the Archdiocese of Onitsha have declared 40 days of prayers and fasting over the level of insecurity in the State.
A press release signed by Most Rev. Valerian M. Okeke, the Archbishop of Onitsha and Metropolitan Ecclesiastical Province, for and on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Onitsha Province, stated that there was a need for divine intervention over what was happening in the State.
