By KEMI KASUMU
Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, makes history as first South East leader to take meaningful action against terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) with the imposition of a 6pm-6am curfew on eight Local Government Areas in the state.
This curfew, which takes effect from Thursday May 26, 2022 until further notice, affects namely Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Government Areas.
In a generalised terms, government, political, traditional leaders and professionals of the South East were recently accused, in a published opinion article, of supporting and, allegedly, funding the terrorist groups even with money of the same country the criminal elements call a “Zoo”.
The attitude of those regional governments, leaders and professionals that blame “unknown gunmen” for crimes, known to be clearly committed by IPOB, was described in the article to be the very complacence that encourages the terrorists to increase their killings of soldiers, police, DSS officers as well as civillians in a format that has now been interpreted as attacks on ethnic and religious targets in the South East.
But Soludo, in a nationwide broadcast address Wednesday, came with a sledge hammer in form of the curfew expected to check the menace of IPOB terrorism in parts of the state, where pregnant wife of an Adamawa State-born security guard, Harira Jubril, and her four innocent little children were killed, among other casualties, by the wicked souls on Sunday May 22, 2022.
He equally banned motorcycles, commercial tricycles also called Keke, and shuttle buses from operating in the affected local councils on Mondays until the sit-at-home order completely stops.
“With effect from tomorrow, Thursday, 26th May 2022, a 6 pm to 6 am curfew is hereby placed on motorcycles (Okada), tricycles (Keke), and shuttle buses in the Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Governments until further notice,” he stated.
“Until further notice also, motorcycles, Keke, and shuttle buses are banned from operating in these local governments on Mondays until the Sit-at-Home completely stops.”
The governor also called on residents of the state to join hands with him to achieve his dream of making Anambra a liveable and prosperous homeland.
“The youths of every community in the zone are hereby enjoined to assist the security agencies in the implementation of this policy and are mandated to seize any such motorcycle or tricycle on the spot,” he said.
“Local Vigilantes should report such motorcycles or tricycles (Keke) immediately, and they will be confiscated by the government and the owner prosecuted.
“The Okada, Keke, and shuttle bus union leaders must take responsibility to report their members who are involved in criminal activities. We shall review this after two weeks, and if members of these unions continue to be involved in criminal activities, the government will have no choice but to either disband the Unions and/or ban them out rightly in the state.”
