By Jude Michael
Worried by the rising crime rate in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State, the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh, has urged residents of Awka and Okpuno in the Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State to mobilize action to bring to an end cult activities and allied crimes in the area.
Umeh, who spoke at the maiden Awka City Security Summit convened by the member representing Awka South 1 Constituency, Hon. Henry Mbachu, said insecurity was impeding the development of Awka Capital City despite the presence of Government House and other institutions in the area. Hon Mbachu and Umeh are members of the Labour Party, LP.
According to him, the Igbo nation was not known for wasting human blood for any reason, hence everybody would be needed to end insecurity in the area
Umeh said, ‘Awka is blessed like every other town made capital city of a state. I urge you to secure your land so that the residents and strangers can live happily and their business thrive.
‘Do Awka well so that everyone will come to invest. No one likes to invest in an insecure environment,’ the senator stated.
Awka and its environs have been witnessing violent killings and other pockets of crimes in recent times, leading to not less than forty persons being killed, mostly over cult related activities, between January and May, 2024.
Also speaking on the occasion, the member representing Awka North and Awka South Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Hon. Lilian Orogbu, said she was pained as insecurity in the state capital had forced many scholars and experts to shun invitations to programmes, reminding them that it could turn Awka into a glorified village if left unresolved.
For his part, the Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Somtochukwu Udeze, represented by the Majority Leader, Mr Ikenna Ofodoeme, expressed optimism that cult related crisis would become a thing of past once the executive fully implemented the Anti-Cult Law already passed by the legislature.
According to Udeze, the bill stipulated relevant punishment and sanctions to cultists, including their friends, sponsors, landlords, producers and marketers of rifles, owners of vehicles or premises used for cult related activities and whoever showed up as witness or signatory to meet their bail conditions.
Contributing, a chieftain of Labour party, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, identified insecurity as the topmost challenge confronting Awka and Anambra State generally and urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to rise up against that through job creation, provision of enabling environment for businesses to thrive, putting a stop to multiple taxations and what he called other anti-people policies.
Ozigbo said, ‘There is no sense of urgency from the government that is living in denial. Government should take full responsibility of security of life and property as number one top priority because many Anambra people are scared of coming home again. There are many ways to solve the insecurity problems considering economic and political angles to it.
‘We need to deal with insecurity from the roots. The government needs to create jobs and favourable environment for businesses and people to live peacefully. There is also need for the government to stop using taxes and policies to kill businesses. There is need to embark on job creations and empowerment.
‘I thank Hon. Mbachu for taking this bold step. And I am calling on other lawmakers to organise similar security summits in their constituency to chart a way forward because security of life and property is everyone’s concern,’ he noted.
Speaking separately, the Archbishop of Province on the Niger and Anglican Bishop of Awka Diocese, Alexander Ibezim, represented by Canon Edwin Enemo; two prominent natives of Awka, Mr Bennett Okoye and Mr Chukwudi Mogbo, identified poor parenting, drugs addiction, quest for power, lack of education and joblessness, as among the reasons behind the rise in insecurity in Awka.
On their parts, the Secretary, Ọzọ Title Holders’ Society in Awka, Ọzọ Ndụ Nwakalor, said they had already ruled that any of their members who engaged in cultism directly or indirectly, including by ways of sponsorship or acting as witness to secure bail condition for a cultist, would be de-titled, banned and excommunicated forever.
Earlier, the convener and member representing Awka South 1 Constituency, Hon. Nigeria Henry Mbachu, explained that the summit was aimed at brainstorming on insecurity troubling the capital city with a view to proffering lasting solutions to it.
Mbachu, who recalled that Awka used to be accommodating, lover and respecter of humanity, wondered how things degenerated to the present situation where some people lusted for the blood of their fellow humans.
The anomaly, according to him, had forced many families into becoming childless, fatherless, motherless, widows and widowers, because the perpetrators killed without having mercy on anyone.
‘This is not political but a plan to rejig the security in my constituency Awka South 1, comprising Awka and Okpuno. I have met with several stakeholders and mobilised them to join us in speaking in one voice so that we can make this place secure and better to live by all. Whatever we reach as a decision today will be taken to the executive for action,’ he noted.
