…As Amnesty Int’l Unveils Security Report
By Ikenna Orioha
The National President of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly (OYA), Prince Izunna Obiefule, has urged government to adequately equip security agencies to enable them combat crime and insecurity to standstill to restore security, sanity, peace and comfort in Imo State, particularly in Orlu Senatorial Zone.
OYA National President said adequate fighting equipment, gadgets and operational vehicles will strengthen security agencies to be proactive in fighting criminals who also use sophisticated arms and ammunition to unleash mayhem on the people especially those who are helpless.
Obiefule made the urge in his comment during the Report Presentation and Campaign Launch, tagged “A Decade Of Impunity, Attacks And Unlawful Killings In South East Nigeria”, by Amnesty International, held at BON Hotel Platinum, Enugu, on Tuesday.
Obiefule regretted that the government and the security agents are not doing enough to curtail crime, violence and killing in Imo State particularly in Orlu Zone, otherwise insecurity could not have lingered.
Frowning at the unlawful arrest, long detention, imprisonment, maiming and extra – judicial killing of innocent people, especially the youth of Orlu Zone by the security agents who are saddled with the task to protect law-abiding citizens, Obiefule called on government to punish any security agent: Police, Army or Vigilante who went or goes contrary to the law in the cause of carrying out security duties.
“Orlu Senatorial Zone is the worst hit of the insecurity situation in Imo State. The Police and the Judiciary should rise and caution the excesses of some security agents including the vigilante outfits. It is a thing out of place that law-abiding youths are being dehumanized and killed on daily basis in Orlu, Orsu, Oru West and Oru East especially”.
“Security agents should be professional in dealing with the insecurity situation so that innocent people and their property would not be destroyed as violations of human rights in South East have grown beyond control”, he added.
He pointed out that greed, corruption, selfishness, wickedness by government officials are the major cause of insecurity in the region, saying good governance and youth empowerment can contain and curtail crime and violence if they are prioritized.
“For crime, violence and insecurity to reduce or be eliminated entirely in South East, government officials should shun greed, corruption, selfishness, averice and marginalization and embrace good governance, purposeful leadership as obtained in a democratic setting.
“OYA, as the Apex and Umbrella Youth Body of Orlu Senatorial District, is calling on security forces to improve in securing law-abiding citizens.
“Government should adequately equip security apparatuses with modern weapons, gadgets to be able to combat insecurity. Youth should shun crime and violence: Organ harvesting, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, banditry, terrorism and embrace hard work to become useful to themselves, families, communities and Igbo nation at large”, Obiefule emphasized.
Earlier, unveiling the document that captures the insecurity situations and human rights violations in South East since 2015, the Director, Amnesty International, Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, called on authorities in Nigeria to painstakingly investigate human rights violations in South East.
According to the international human rights group, “the persistent failure of government to address the security crisis in the country’s South East region has created a free-for-all reign of impunity in which numerous state and non-state actors have committed serious human rights violations and killed at least 1,844 people between January 2021 and June 2023”.
