By Jude Atupulazi
Last Sunday, the people of Anambra State woke up to the gory news of an accident that claimed three lives, including that of a child. They were crushed by a trailer with a dysfunctional brake in Obosi on the morning of that day. But what was more worrisome was the story that the accident was caused by revenue agents of the Anambra State Government who had caused vehicles to line up there as they checked those they wanted. It was while this happened that the said trailer’s brake failed and it rammed into the vehicles there, killing three and injuring about a dozen others.
It is not that accidents do not happen but when they are caused by the irresponsible actions of some people they tend to make people very angry indeed. People were particularly angry with this one because of the said involvement of the same revenue touts or agberos that everybody has been complaining about.
That the Anambra State Government came out to deny the involvement made it all the more annoying because eyewitnesses all confirmed that it was touts that caused the accident. One of the witnesses was a driver of one of the crushed vehicles.
Several times the Anambra State Government has promised to deal with touts but never seeming to succeed in doing so. If anything, the more the government tries to ”deal” with them the more they become stronger and bolder and this has made many to suspect that the state government has some sort of pact with them.
These touts have done much harm to road users and have succeeded in replacing the police as public enemy number one. They are seen in streets and major roads, as well as markets and parks, and one wonders if the state government is not seeing them too. It is sadly only in Anambra among all the Southeast states that the activities of touts are most pronounced and it is only in Anambra that revenue collection seems such a big thing. Soludo should really find a SOLUTION to this problem as we are getting sick and tired of government’s denials.
It was a heart wrenching thing seeing the girl-child lying dead on the road with her brains crushed. The parents of that child and the families of others killed will not be happy that the Anambra State Government keeps making promises about eliminating touts while they keep harassing people and causing accidents. Enough ought to be enough at this point.
The key to insecurity
I’m sure we’ve heard it said that every crime is local. That simply means that every criminal can be traced to a base. If they are not in the villages, they are in the townships. Even those who stay in the bushes as kidnappers are staying in villages or in townships where those bushes are situated.
We have been hearing stories of how some bushes have been occupied by kidnappers – both local and outsiders (mostly Fulanis). But many wonder why nothing much is being done about getting into those bushes and flushing them out. Yet the government complains about difficulty in combating kidnapping.
While it is true that the Anambra State Government is trying in the fight against criminals, a lot more still needs to be done. This business of kidnapping is one that has come to stay because it is the easiest way of making money these days. While the senior men in the business demand millions as ransoms, the novices or apprentices demand even as low as N200, 000. But what constitutes the bottom line is that the business is a booming one and as long as the current hardship persists, this bad business will continue to thrive and even have more people coming in. What to do then?
The solution to this menace lies in taking the battle to the criminals in their abode. Remaining reactionary will not achieve the desired result. The state government should mobilize the communities well enough to be able to flush out all the criminals from their bushes. Every community where these criminals hide in their bushes is well aware of the presence of these undesirable elements but because of fear of reprisals, they keep mum.
What the government can do is to emplace measures in which tips will be given to trusted sources who will now raid the hideouts of criminals. Such tips can also be given against bad elements within the community who are known by the rest of the members of that community. These people will be picked off one by one and once this starts happening others will leave town. The environment should not be made comfortable for these undesirables because they are enjoying too much comfort these days. That is why in some communities they tax people and give permission for the performance of such events as funerals and weddings. Imagine the audacity!
Another thing to note is that no foreign elements can operate in any community without the active connivance of locals. For instance, you can take it to the bank that no Fulani can have the courage to operate in Igbo heartland if he is not conniving with local boys. They fear us as much as we fear them. So it is either the Fulanis are working with the local boys or working with security personnel.
For instance, one wonders why the ”Four-Corner” axis in Enugu State has continued to be the hotbed of kidnap activities orchestrated by Fulanis despite the presence of soldiers nearby. The fact that the Fulanis don’t fear the soldiers there is an ominous sign that something is happening. We have heard of soldiers and policemen aiding criminals by giving them weapons. Long ago we read how a police officer, George Iyamu, in the Old Bendel State, was providing arms and ammunition to the Lawrence Anini gang and also giving them privileged information. When Anini was finally caught, he implicated Iyamu who was later executed with the Anini gang by a firing squad. So it did not start today.
If, therefore, the kidnap activities at ”Four-Corner” keep thriving, then the Enugu State Government should arrest those soldiers there, failing which the government should be held responsible for what happens there. One wonders why the entire area has not been raided. Those areas abound in most communities. They should all be raided and if the use of bombs becomes necessary, such should be used. It is only by such extreme measures that these criminals can be dealt with. The kid glove treatment currently being given them should stop.
If the communities are mobilized, a particular period can be designated for every community to simultaneously raid their bushes and flush out the criminals with the help of security agents. This way, the situation where one community chases them and they run to another neighbouring community will be eliminated. When this is done continually, the criminals will take flight from the communities.
A friend who is a community leader told me the other day about how their community frowns at strangers without any visible means of livelihood and how they are not allowed to reside among them. He told how some of the youths were coopted in identifying strangers and interrogating them. Those youths are given stipends too, thus giving them a sense of belonging. This is equally an idea that can be replicated by other communities.
Communities should also query idle youths among them. Most of them are into crime. Anyone who does not have anything doing should find something to do. They can learn a trade or skill and be useful to themselves. Any idle youth who still affords to drink and smoke will most likely be getting money from an illegal source and such youths should be interrogated. All this will make them very uncomfortable.
The Ekwueme Square Renovation
I’ve just read about the renovation work going on at Ekwueme Square, Awka by the state government. It is a good thing and I commend the government. Such renovation, I learnt, will involve building more pavilions. That is good. But I would have thought that the place which needs more pavilions is the Awka Township Stadium where the facilities at the VIP Section, which is the only pavilion, are crumbling fast. Most of the seats at the top of the stand have spoilt and in need of repair.
But more important is the need to build another pavilion at the popular side of the stadium. This will make the stadium more complete. But, perhaps the state government has plans for that. That stadium, though small, boasts of a very good pitch, which is why Rangers International of Enugu used to play its home games there. The stadium must not be allowed to die.
