South-East Governors should collaborate more in the area of information sharing, intelligence gathering and joint efforts towards improving the security situation in the region
By Uche Nworah
Someone forwarded a video of burning commercial buses to me this morning. From the commentary, a group of people enforcing illegal sit-at-home order had accosted the drivers, forced the passengers to come down and set the buses on fire.
The incident allegedly occurred around Ugwu Nwasike, Ogidi, Anambra state on Wednesday, 10th May, 2023.
This is a setback because Anambra state has gradually returned to normal commercial and other activities on Mondays, free from the forced Mondays sit- at- home. This new wave of attacks, perhaps an attempt to enforce an illegal sit-at-home order from the 8th to 11th May, 2023, 6am – 6pm which was shared in a viral poster suggests that the people who are bent on destroying the South-East region with such illegal orders are unrelenting.
The government of Professor Charles Soludo has done a lot to restore lasting peace in Anambra state, and rid the state of criminals and vandals. Just this week, Anambra Police Command announced that its operatives had neutralized some kidnappers and arrested others around Ideani axis.
The government can not do it alone. The churches should help and use moral suasion from the pulpits to preach against needless bloodletting and violence that has engulfed parts of the South-East. This has left the people permanently scared and traumatized. The economy of the South-East has also taken a beating as a result. Our people don’t visit home much anymore. They now hold family events in distant places. Just last night, we attended a funeral reception in the Victoria Island area of Lagos. This is an event that normally should be held back home.
Many families quietly bury their loved ones in the South-East and hold the burial receptions outside. This is out of fear of kidnapping and violent attacks. Hotels, and other events – related service providers are all suffering from decreased patronage.
Those who are bent on destroying the South-East region should have a rethink. We have no other homeland to go back to. Communities should also mobilize and secure their environments. There are models and templates to follow. For example, Enugwu-Ukwu and Alor communities in Anambra state now have 24 hours CCTV surveillance systems installed in strategic locations in their communities. These will help crime fighting. Nnewi community recently rolled out a comprehensive security system including insurance schemes, enhanced pay etc for the town’s vigilante operatives.
South-East Governors should collaborate more in the area of information sharing, intelligence gathering and joint efforts towards improving the security situation in the region. Incidents of cross-boundary kidnapping and other violent attacks occur regularly. With more collaboration, such should be contained.
Finally, it’s obvious that the police and other security agencies have suffered a lot from the violent activities occurring in the South-East. They are usually the first in the firing line and have lost men and materials. The police and other security agencies should come up with improved conditions of service, insurance and other schemes to motivate their men and women. They should invest also in technology to clinically and efficiently execute the war on terror which is fast making the South-East region desolate.
* Nworah, Ph.D, is a marketing and public communications expert.