It is nine months since Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo announced the formation of a 15-member committee charged with the responsibility of addressing insecurity, violence and separatist agitations in the state and South East generally.
NEWSBREAK recalls that the committee was inaugurated in June 2022.
A renowned human rights activist, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, is the Chairman of the committee, while Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Biafra leader, Odumegwu Ojukwu, is the Secretary.
Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, fondly called Charly Boy and some notable figures from other states in the South-east are also members of the committee.
But no one really knows what the 15-man Truth, Justice and Peace Committee has done – if at all they did what is necessary to achieve something tangible. Each member of the committee has been silent, and no substantial signs they’re working or have worked. As much as he makes tweets, it is rare to see even the outspoken Prof. Odinkalu comment on what’s been done by the committee he was made leader.
Everyone agrees insecurity is a critical issue, and much more worrying is the fact that the horror being witnessed in Nigeria’s southeast region under the guise of the so-called ‘Unknown Gunmen’ keeps consuming sinless natives.
Just three days ago, the criminals bombed the headquarters of Ihiala Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State and killed three vigilante operatives. They also beheaded one of the vigilantes after killing them.
Persons of Igbo extraction who are members of the Nigerian Armed Forces are still being targeted, harmed and murdered.
Assignment completed, but no words from either the notable figures or the state government on the sour situation.
The Truth, Justice and Peace Committee was handed six months to complete its assignment, but the time frame has elapsed, and no one is saying anything, yet the menace that warranted their composition still remains at a concerning and abominable degree.
Some of the Terms of Reference of the committee are to identify the remote and immediate causes of the agitations, restiveness, violence, and armed struggle in the South-east since 1999 and make recommendations for sustainable peace and security in Anambra state and the South-east. But no one can say confidently if the committee has met up with it.
It would be in the public interest for the persons concerned to show action, and also authorities make the report of the committee public.
Discussion about this post