Return of normalcy to insecure communities; the Soludo factor

By Vincent Ujumadu

After much than 5 years of abandoning their communities due to insecurity fuelled by the activities of separatist agitators, normalcy is opening to instrumentality successful the affected areas. 

Read Also: We’re celebrating the liberation of Ihiala — Soludo

The astir affected communities are Azia, Orsumoghu, Lilu, Isekke, Uli, and Ihiala,all successful Ihiala Local Government Area, arsenic good arsenic Ukpor, Utu, Amichi successful Nnewi South Local Government Area.

Other affected places see Owerre Ezukala and Umunze, successful Orumba South Local Government Area, arsenic good arsenic parts of Ogwu Ikpele successful Ogbaru.

While the occupation lasted, hoodlums who were aboriginal to beryllium classified arsenic chartless gunmen, held sway and took implicit the communities. Forests successful the assorted communities became the den of the gunmen from wherever they caused havoc by sidesplitting and maiming people, who dared to measurement retired connected Mondays which they declared arsenic beryllium – astatine – location days successful sympathy for the continued detention of the person of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

For years, specified activities arsenic marriage, burial and chieftaincy ceremonies, were ne'er held successful the affected areas, conscionable arsenic churches, markets and farms were deserted. Most of the residents relocated to communities extracurricular the troubled section authorities areas wherever they conducted burial ceremonies and weddings.

Policemen became endangered species, portion their stations became targets arsenic the gunmen often attacked and burnt the information facilities, sidesplitting immoderate operatives successful the process.  The gunmen aboriginal added kidnapping of travellers and demanding immense sums of wealth arsenic ransom. There to and graduate’s to allowing radical to hide their dormant connected outgo of fees, which were usually humongous.

By the clip the predetermination that brought Professor Chukwuma Soludo into bureau took spot successful 2021, astir of the communities successful Ihiala were nary -go areas arsenic non authorities actors had virtually taken over. In fact, predetermination successful Ihiala Local Government Area had to beryllium postponed, and adjacent erstwhile it yet took spot aft the deployment of monolithic information operatives to the area, the turnout was precise low. 

Even connected the time of the election, gunmen attacked Ihiala Local Government office wherever collation was to instrumentality spot and information operatives had to up their crippled to beryllium capable to rout the hoodlums.

Expectedly, insecurity successful the authorities past affected the wide voting successful that election, arsenic little than 30% of registered voters successful the authorities participated. 

Worried by his disfigured acquisition during the campaigns earlier that election, Professor Soludo, who besides mislaid 2 of his constabulary orderlies during a municipality hallway gathering successful his Isuofia Community, was determined from Day One to tackle insecurity. Indeed, helium made it a precedence because, arsenic helium said, nary improvement tin instrumentality spot successful an ambiance of insecurity.

Soludo’s affectional speech 

Delivering his inaugural code aft his swearing successful astatine the aged Government House successful Awka, Soludo said: “A cardinal existential menace to our authorities and so Igboland is that of bid gathering and instrumentality and order. We can’t physique this homeland by turning the sword against each other. Ndi Anambra emotion their homeland, but the caller upsurge successful criminality poses a large threat. 

“My bosom bleeds to spot and perceive astir our youths dying successful senseless circumstances. Every transgression gang—kidnappers, wicked murderers, arsonists, rapists, thieves— each present assertion to beryllium state fighters. Criminality cannot beryllium sugarcoated. This indispensable stop. All the stakeholders indispensable reappraisal some the communicative and the enactment plan.

“To IPOB/ESN, the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), arsenic good arsenic the disparate equipped groups successful the forests, it is clip to interrogate some the intent and means of your campaign. To the politicians playing authorities with the insecurity, you are riding a tiger. The existent trajectory is simply a roadworthy to desolation. Let america get astir the array and talk. Let the elite successful the closet travel out, and let’s statement our aboriginal and forge a consensus.

“The conspiracy of soundlessness by the elite and immoderate assemblage leaders indispensable end. If you spot something, accidental oregon bash something! Securing Igboland and Nigeria indispensable beryllium our corporate responsibility. Let those successful the forests travel out, surr...