A group known as Igbonnie has condemned what it called ‘insensitive killings’ in the South-East, as it proffers solutions to the menace.
At news conference in Abuja on Thursday, Igbonnie’s Diaspora Director, Prof. Marcel Ezenwoye called for an end to ‘such evil acts’.
According to Ezenwoye, the group is ‘a cultural and socio-economic non-governmental organisation, focused on Igbo welfare’. He said ‘the current trend of killing and kidnapping people using tinted SUVs, especially in Anambra State, must be condemned and stopped by perpetrators of such evil acts’.
‘A trend which was seen during the campaign that midwifed the election of Prof ChukwumaSoludo whose aides and orderly were unfortunately killed in the process, as well as Dr Chike Akunyili who was gruesomely murdered on his way back from an award ceremony in Onitsha.
‘Since then, the South East, particularly around Old Aguata axis where the current Governor of Anambra State hails from – Ekwulobia, Isuofia, Uga, Oko, Nanka down to Npkor, Obosi and so on have known no peace’, Ezenwoye further said.
Ezenwoye also commended the ‘good works’ that Governor Soludo had already embarked on since his inauguration.
He enjoined the people of the state to ignore some critics whose goal, he said, was to distract the Governor’s attention.
Igbonnie praised Soludo’s clean-up of the Onitsha-Ochanga-Nkpor-Iweka axis, as well as the campaign against touting in the state.
‘These touts are jobless youths, who collect illegal taxes and are usually used by bad politicians to intimidate their perceived political opponents.
‘Taxes collected go into the pockets of their sponsors and crimes such as vandalism, stealing, gun running, kidnapping are all associated with this group’, he said.
He also commended the Governor for his efforts at restoring peace in the state, including abolishing the sit-at-home order by the proscribed Indigenes People of Biafra (IPOB) and fishing out criminal elements and their sponsors, as well his frantic efforts at ensuring the release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Ezenwoye also hailed Soludo over the appointment of a 15-man committee to address the insecurity challenge in the state and IPOB agitations, with membership of the committee cutting across the five South-East states of Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
He pledged to help the stakeholders in Igboland and in the Diaspora to mobilise Igbo sons and daughters to work with the Anambra State government.
This, according to him, is important to wipe out thuggery, vandalism and senseless killings in the state and by extension in the rest of Igboland, maintaining that these killings were alien to Igbo culture.
‘Putting bullets in the head of innocent victims are all foreign cultures, barbaric and very myopic.
‘We are, therefore, calling for a new ‘Igboness’ in terms of character, orientation, behavioural and attitudinal change’, he charged.
Ezenwoye said that Igbonnie was ready to provide an enabling platform for the training and re-training of all motor park touts as well as repentant commercial sex workers in the state.
He sought partnership with all universities, especially those situated in the southeast to help provide training environment for the groups.
‘For starters, Tansian University, Umunya, Paul University, Akwa and Anambra Polytechnic, Mgbakwu shall be used for the pilot scheme on entrepreneurship since their skill acquisition research and development centres are fully equipped with human resources and facilities.
‘Igbonnie has come to bring peace, starting from Anambra’, he said.
The Diaspora Director also urged Igbo sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora to register en masses ahead of the 2023 presidential election. (NAN)
