The Monday, 18 November, 2024, edition of sit-at-home, originally declared by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), was enforced in some parts of Anambra with killings and kidnappings by gunmen.
One of the bloody spots was Abatete, a town in Idemili North Local Government Area (LGA), where hooded goons killed three security men attached to the Town’s President-General (PG). The PG was hit by a bullet and was taken to a nearby hospital. He had earlier been abducted but escaped from his abductors.
Same day in Ukpo Community, the town’s Vigilante group came under attack. One vigilante and motor cyclist (Okada) were killed at the town’s roundabout. Ukpo is the headquarters of Dunukofia LGA and the Nigeria Police Zone 13 headquarters.
Five days earlier, gunmen killed two soldiers attached to the Joint Task Force South-East (Operation UDO KA) along Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State. Spokesman of the Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu confirmed the attack.
On 30 May the military confirmed an attack on its troops by terrorists. According to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, the attack took place at Obikabia Junction Checkpoint in Obingwa Local Government Area, adjourning Aba metropolis, where troops of Operation Udoka were deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect the citizens. Six civilians were killed in the crossfire that ensued between the terrorists and the troops.
In retaliation, troops of the Nigerian Army killed six suspected members of IPOB and its affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in Abia, in June. According to Col. Unuakhalu, the six were killed when personnel of Operation Udo Ka conducted a clearance operation at a suspected IPOB/ESN camp in Igboro Forest in Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state. The operation was carried out to arrest those behind the 30 May killing of five soldiers in Obikabia Junction in Aba, he said.
These are few of the reported incidences of bloodletting in the South East. There are other gory cases of killings in the zone. Some are of course, not recorded. But in all the instances, the region keeps bleeding and continues shrinking in substance and essence. It has in irony of sort, become the norm these days, for blood – human blood to be spilt in the South East for one reason or another. In fact, as it is, hardly does a day pass without reports of gruesome encounters in the area. Being introduced as an Igbo of South East in a forum nowadays, evokes feelings of pity or suspicion, depending on perception. To say that the region is presently on its fours, is perhaps an understatement.
I had on this space, on Friday, September 17, 2021, drawn an analogy between the uncertain developments in the South East and the chaos in Somalia. Somalia is a country that ordinarily has everything going for it but has failed to utilise any of the factors in its favour. It is a country of one religion, one language, one ethnic group and a common ancestry. These factors could have taken Somalia far but the country has been in the news for the wrong reasons and has remained a reference point for state collapse. It is a state where law and order are on flight and the citizens live at the mercy of war lords.
The South East shares striking similarities with Somalia and seems headed towards same inglorious direction. As Somalia lays claim to common ancestry, the Igbo of the South East have various myths and legends on their origin but seem to agree on the theory of autochthony, that is, not migrating from anywhere but having ancestors that sprouted from the soil in their present areas of domicile. But in a more painful parallel, both are in throes of insecurity. Living in the South East, now, is akin to residing in Somalia. The South East has become a zone where one, literally, cannot sleep with two eyes closed because of uncertainties.
As in Somalia, it all boils down to failure of leadership, especially the political elite. The politicians from the South East are the problem of the zone. It is their failure to assume responsibility and provide genuine leadership to the people that has created room for elements on the fringes to prance about, assume positions of influence and act as champions of the masses. Nature, they say, abhors vacuum.
As life is regularly lost to faceless goons in the South East, so also does the economy of the region keep dwindling. Since the commencement of the Monday sit-at-home on August 9, 2021, the economy of the region has been under huge stress. Anambra alone, posts a loss of N19billion each Monday the order is enforced. Other states in the zone suffer similar losses. The impacts are mostly felt on factory shutdowns, non-movement of labour and capital, low productivity and high cost of living.
Other aspects of the people’s life are not spared the trauma. Basic cultural norms of the Igbo are now being watered down or entirely waved off. Such events as funerals, traditional weddings that draw the people to their roots, are currently being kept in abeyance or observed in cities. Families are leaving the region for other areas or outside the country, in droves. The beautiful mansions that dot the villages are in some cases, presently, uninhabited by the owners but occupied by rodents or fleeting characters. It is that bad for a people, who in the best of time, pride themselves with attachment to their homes.
The basic question is how the current atmosphere of uncertainty in the East can be reversed. The leaders in their various classes and callings owe the people the duty of fashioning out a template for reinventing the zone. Focused leadership is essential in getting things work for the region. It is not enough for political office holders from the zone to pack and ferry their families abroad. The homeland remains the cradle. Good governance remains a critical step in pulling the idle hands in the Orient from the path of crime.
Those causing problems for the South East must be identified and treated accordingly. The military and other security agencies, may also need to widen their scope of suspicion and intelligence in looking for the culprits. Limiting their gaze on IPOB/ESN, may unwittingly leave room for common criminals to run unchallenged. The complexities of crimes in the area demand enhanced intelligence sharing and departure from the current mechanical strategy.
For the youths of the zone crying marginalisation and blaming the leaders for not doing enough, it is high time they realised that killing in the name of agitation, is no-brainer. It is certainly not the way to go. They cannot keep killing the people they claim to fight for. There must be end to the hemorrhage in the South East!
