It was really a bloody Sunday in Nibo, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, last Sunday, as no less than 12 persons, all males, were dispatched to the great beyond by those suspected to be cultists. It was during a popular festival in the town.
The killings shocked many in Anambra State, given the numbers involved, plus the fact that it happened very near the Anambra State Governor’s Lodge.
The Nibo bloodbath has become one among several other similar incidents in and around the Capital City of Awka. Apart from such cult-related killings, there are also such crimes as kidnappings and robberies which have been taking their tolls on the citizenry across the state.
That Anambra State has become the crime capital of the entire Southeast Region is no longer a matter of argument. But what really worries many is the cold response of the State Government in the face of all these chaos.
During the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians had slated him for his penchant to keep mum while his country burnt. No tragedy, however terrible, was considered huge enough to elicit the reaction of Buhari.
Even when 72 people killed by herdsmen in Benue State were buried same day, Buhari did not utter a word of sympathy or assurance to Nigerians that his government was doing anything to ameliorate the situation. It was a development that irked many Nigerians who called Buhari a sadist.
Fast forward to the current situation in Anambra State and you have what is beginning to look like life under Buhari. For a long time now, the Governor of the state, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has refrained from making any comment after the commission of any major crime. He has always maintained a studied silence as though what is happening is either in another state or that he cares less.
Anambra which until recently used to be referred as among the safest states in the federation is today among the worst. It is now a feat for anyone to leave home and return in one piece. If kidnappers are not harassing people, armed robbers and cultists are having a field day.
They operate and get away at will and it is now a case of private citizens taking measures to protect themselves. Yet, we all know the number one responsibility of any government is to protect its people. To therefore say that Soludo’s Administration has woefully failed in security is to state the obvious.
To date, the State Government has failed to address the insecurity in the state and doesn’t seem about to do so any time soon. Its taciturnity in the face of these untoward developments is like adding insult to injury.
We call on the Anambra State Government to therefore, wake up to its number one responsibility and stop playing the ostrich. What is at stake here is human life. The spate of insecurity in Anambra State is affecting the social and economic life of the state.
The citizenry need to not only be reassured of their safety but they need to see proof of positive measures by the State Government that it is on top of the situation.
We are no longer happy with the way the Anambra State Government is handling the security situation. These criminal acts take place in broad daylight and nothing happens. We say that enough is enough.
Anambra State Government, please treat the volatile security in the state as critical. The people of the state want action, no longer rhetoric. It is now or never.
