The State Lead Representative of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, expressed doubt that the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, would stop the uncertainty challenges in the South-East.
While at a press briefing at the Lead representative’s Lodge in Amawbia on Tuesday, Soludo said that hoodlums are are presently taking advantage the Biafran struggle.
He noted that under the pretext of agitation, these individuals had turned to “lucrative criminality,” participating in armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, and idolatry.
He demanded that their activities have nothing to do with the genuine freedom battle, expressing that such violations are simply driven by greed and disorder.
The Lead Representative additionally uncovered that over 99 per cent of criminals arrested in Anambra in the past two years were Igbo, with more than 70% being non-indigenes of the state.
“The so-called agitators have transformed into organized criminal gangs,” Soludo said. “They hide in forests, kidnapping innocent citizens for ransom, and they justify their atrocities under the pretext of Biafra. Let us be clear—this has nothing to do with any liberation movement. Culpability has taken on a life of its own. These people have tasted blood, and presently, money is their motivation.”
“Kanu and IPOB have over and over dissociated themselves from these crooks,” Soludo explained. “Regardless of whether Nnamdi Kanu is released today, I’m not sure they would pay attention to him since what they currently seek after is abundance, not freedom. They have become enemies of the people they claim to safeguard. Who are they fighting for when they capture and kill their own kin?”
“Our people know these criminals. They are our brothers, cousins, and neighbours,” he said. “It’s sad that in some communities, people contribute food to support these criminals hiding in the forests. How do you fight insecurity when people consider crooks to be legends and the police as the enemy?”
The State Lead representative announced the plan to launch ‘Operation Udo Ga Chi’ (Operation Peace Shall Reign), a state-wide security drive scheduled to start after January 25.
The operation, Soludo explained, would deploy 163 branded vehicles for stop-and-search exercises and integrate high level observation innovation to track criminals and secure forests.
“We are strengthening our security measures with both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. We have trained forest guards to work with vigilantes and LG authorities to reclaim our forests. I call on these criminals to embrace our amnesty window, which remains open until the end of February,” the State Lead representativeadded.
