Former Chairman of Nationwide Human Rights Fee, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has stated that insecurity in Anambra State is attributable to cultists and organised prison gangs.
Odinkalu, the Chairman of Anambra State Reality, Peace and Justice Fee, acknowledged this shortly after submitting the report of the Fee to the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, on the Anambra State Authorities Home.
Soludo had in 2022 constituted the Fee, naming Odinkalu as its chairman. Different notable members embody Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.
The Fee was charged with the accountability of unraveling the foundation reason for violence within the state. It was additionally mandated to proffer options to make sure an finish to violent crimes within the state.
Odinkalu, in an interview with journalists stated: “Our findings is that there are two causes of violence in Anambra State. There may be the first trigger and spillover violence. Crimes attributable to secessionist teams are spillovers. These are primarily coming from Imo, and you already know that Anambra has borders with Imo.
“The first reason for crime in Anambra is cultism and prison gangs. A few of these prison gangs are backed by highly effective people, and the foundation trigger is accruals from land and pure assets.
“Our discovering is that secession is just not the one supply of crime in Anambra, however organized crime. The locations you see IPOB and different secessionist teams are pretty contained and they’re nicely restricted.”
Odinkalu stated Anambra is blessed with a number of pure assets, together with hydrocarbon, sand mining, kaolin, crude oil and others. He added that land gross sales can also be an enormous enterprise within the state.
He stated: “Specializing in secessionist agitations as the reason for violence diminishes the issues within the South East. The IPOB boys wouldn’t have the capabilities that persons are ascribing to them. Organized crime has the capabilities which might be greater than what the IPOB and ESN has. Most of those IPOB individuals they ascribe crimes to, don’t have anything however pump motion weapons.
“However highly effective people again prison gangs and make some huge cash from them. They procure arms for his or her teams, and through electioneering durations too, politicians use these individuals. IPOB and ESN can’t survive in Ogbaru, prison gangs bunkering oil there is not going to allow them to. Secessionists survive solely within the border areas.”
He stated the Fee discovered, via investigation, that not lower than 86 police personnel have been misplaced to violence in Anambra and the South East in a brief time frame, describing the event as an enormous toll on the nation.
“It’s because you don’t exchange them them simply, they must undergo trainings, gun dealing with and the remainder.”
Odinkalu acknowledged that the Fee made suggestions to the governor on how you can maintain peace within the state, and that he’s assured that Soludo would implement the suggestions to the letter.
