Following accusations that prominent Nigerians from the Southeast have kept mute over the violent activities of members of the militant group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, the Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Thursday, finally spoke of how disturbed he was by the rising security challenges in the country.
He was speaking after viral videos of the group also known as “unknown gunmen” were seen enforcing the sit-at-home orders imposed by IPOB, in different parts of the Southeast region where schools were shut down, transport buses and private vehicles were burnt, and sundry forms of atrocities perpetrated.
Only this Monday, the residents of Enugu State vigorously lamented the negative impact of the frequent sit-at-home order by violent groups in the region.
The residents, among whom were traders, artisans and legal practitioners, said their means of livelihood have been drastically curtailed.
Mr. Peter Obi, in a tweet, said, the rising insecurity in the country leading to mindless bloodletting, particularly in the North Central zone of the country, and the continued disruption of business and social activities in the South East are all becoming very worrisome.
“The violent attacks in the North Central states of Benue and Plateau lately took a new twist with high records of kidnapping, arson, and loss of human lives. According to the 1st Quarter Mass Atrocities Casualty Tracking Report, over 1230 Nigerians were killed.
“79 of them security operatives, with over 600 abductions in the first quarter of this year alone. With what has been happening in the North Central and Zamfara state lately the figure as of today will be mind-boggling even far more than the deaths recorded in Russia/Ukraine
“ongoing carnage. It’s unacceptable that hundreds of innocent lives will continue to be wasted in Nigeria needlessly through communal clashes, bandits, and kidnapping activities.
“The situation in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau states has raised a lot of anxiety because of the number of lives and properties lost with very little resistance from security operatives.
“Also disturbing is the continued disruption of business and social activities in the South East region over the Sit-at-Home directive purported to be coming from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, when the body has publicly denied issuing such directive.
“What is going on in the South East therefore is essentially a criminal activity that must be nipped in the bud, with all hands being on deck, security agencies, and the people alike.
“The South East Governors are to be commended for their renewed efforts at curbing this menace but there is a need to be more strategic and intelligence-driven in our approach to reducing the suffering of innocent people.
“Security agencies should take necessary and quick steps to arrest the ugly incidents because the country cannot just be spilling the blood of innocent citizens. We as a people through our various governments should up our value for human lives in the way and manner we respond to issues that touch lives. The implications of an insecure environment for development are far-reaching because no investor will consider going to an area where their resources will not be safe and secured.
“Therefore, I will like to urge critical stakeholders in these areas, traditional, Christian, and Muslim leaders to continue pushing for peace among their people in the way and manner they conduct themselves.
“The various governments at all levels should also take deliberate steps to address the issue of poverty and youth unemployment because the provision of stomach infrastructure is the surer way to tackle insecurity.
“Also, urgent steps should be taken consciously and intentionally to ameliorate the hardship of the people.”
His comments followed a similar one by the former minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili, who recently blamed the federal government for not taking responsibility for the problems militating the growth of the region, but has rather concentrated on fulfilling an obsession she called, “grab power just for the sake of power”.
