By Emeka Alex Duru
A certain artwork on Facebook social media platform during the week, accounts for this outing. It is a sordid reminder of the piteous state of affairs in Orlu senatorial district of Imo state, my place of origin.
It depicts a young man, shedding tears mixed with blood. Under the portrait is a bold inscription; “Restore Peace To Orlu”, with a rider; “sporadic shootings, uninvestigated arrests”. The lessons are huge.
You needed to come from Orlu or have a firsthand knowledge of events in the area these days to appreciate the import of that drawing and the message it conveys.
I can recall doing some writings on Orlu in this space lately. In one, I drew attention to the creeping culture of violence in the zone. In another, I lamented that Orlu, naturally, a placid environment, does not deserve what it is passing through. The last, I can recall, was the alert that despite efforts by the law enforcement agencies, the city was still under huge stress. Nothing, really, has changed.
The atmosphere in Orlu is complex and sordid. It, is to say the least, multi-dimensional.
The entire thing is mired in needless conspiracy theories with nobody assuming authority or accepting responsibility. The governor, Hope Uzodimma, keeps blaming members of the opposition who in turn, accuse him and his government of orchestrating the confusion. Security forces accuse the Eastern Security Network (ESN) of being the unknown gunmen running riot in the area. The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), says it is not ESN that is the issue but the security agencies, particularly the Department of State Security (DSS), acting the fifth columnist.
All are however agreed that Orlu has lost its tranquil ambience. In a way, it is a war zone in Nigeria’s peace time. Residents understand the situation better.
I was shocked the other day to learn that my nephew, Chimezie, who has been running errands for me at home, has left Orlu for Owerri. Chimezie is a typical Orlu young man, hardworking and not easily attracted to life outside his immediate environment.
Severally, I have prodded him to come over to Lagos. But he has always politely turned down the offer, preferring to operate at home. When I learnt that he was in Owerri, I initially thought it had to do with an out-of-town engagement. But when I was told that he had actually relocated from Orlu that he seemed sworn to live in all his life, I knew that something had gone wrong.
Like many young men from my area, Chimezie scurried out of town to avoid being caught up in the web of confusion by faceless goons in the city or being arrested by security agents currently combing the villages and picking youths within their reach. Youths in the town are increasingly falling victims to unknown gunmen, independence agitators or state agents, especially the internal security network, Ebube-Agu.
Perception of doing well in business, gives out a youth to gunmen in Orlu. A tag of saboteur makes him instant enemy to agitators. Wearing tattoos, dreadlocks or putting on loose clothes, makes him a target for Ebube Agu operatives. In the entire confusing situation, it becomes difficult to distinguish the young men doing their genuine businesses from hoodlums causing trouble in the area. There is palpable fear.
This is why, the 10-day window granted bandits in the state by Governor Uzodimma, to turn in their weapons and receive pardon from the state, is a positive development if genuinely followed through. Uzodimma said the the offer is for bandits operating and hibernating in the forests in Imo to leave their enclaves immediately and surrender themselves and their arms to their traditional rulers for unconditional pardon or face bombardment.
The aspect of the declaration on Imo taking delivery of military equipment that will be used to clear the remnants of bandits hiding in various bushes in the State, is not particularly our concern, here. Uzodimma, is the chief executive of the state. His functions in maintaining law and order in the state are cut out for him by the constitution. Protection of life and property of the citizens, remains the primary purpose of the government. How the governor chooses to go about this brief, is up to him, knowing of course, that history will always be there to judge his actions.
The window of grace to bandits and trouble makers should be encouraged and pursued vigorously. It should even be spiced with rehabilitation and empowerment programmes for repentant hoodlums. This is perhaps, the first time the governor is addressing the problem squarely without bringing in his political opponents. It is a step in the right direction. Since force and military offensives have failed to restore peace in the state, giving a trial to this carrot-and-stick initiative may be the clincher.
Orlu needs the overture more than other parts of the state. Since the 2020 #EndSARS protests when the peaceful atmosphere of the area was violated, Orlu has not been its usual self. The people have ever since, been living in fear – fear of the overzealous law enforcement officers, fear of the unknown gunmen and fear of stray bullets. Businesses have gone down completely and social life, virtually obliterated.
Quite frankly, Orlu does not desire its current stress. It already has enough to contend with in areas of neglect and poor governance. The zone has advantage of immediate name recognition but has refused to grow or has been denied growth by successive administrations in the land. Either as an ancestral community, local government area or senatorial district, Orlu has remained rustic and in dire need of infrastructure uplift. Notwithstanding its reputation as the second largest city in Imo after Owerri and having the highest number of local government areas in the state – 12, there is hardly much to put fingers on in Orlu in terms of industries, government presence and infrastructure.
Orlu has produced three governors of the state in the present dispensation – Achike Udenwa (1999 -2007), Rochas Okorocha (2011 -2019) and currently, Hope Uzodimma. If Uzodimma goes for a second term, the zone would have been in control of Imo politics for 24 years. Yet, Orlu remains a glorified village.
Few government departments and offices largely manned by marginal officers confer it a township status. Aside these, the residents and indigenes are largely petty traders, artisans and subsistence farmers, who depend on their daily efforts for living.
It is these people who are being displaced from their daily activities, denied of their income, uprooted from their ancestral homes and reduced to the status of vagabonds and refugees on account of the ferocious tendencies of the security men and unknown gunmen, that should really matter in the confusing situation.
There is need for enduring peace in Orlu.
• DURU, Editor of TheNiche Newspapers, writes from Lagos.
(08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)