Labour Party stalwart and frontline Governorship hopeful in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, has called on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to use all tools available to his government to end the insecurity in the State.
This is as lawyers under the umbrella of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anambra State chapter has lamented the spate of kidnappings and killings in the State.
In a statement he personally signed, Ozigbo said that urgent intervention has become necessary because insecurity is “crippling economic, social and cultural activities in the State.
Aligning with members of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Anambra State branch in calling for an end to the needless kidnappings and killings, he stated “as Edmund Burke put it the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’”
According to the statement: “Faced with the incessant kidnappings and killings by criminals in Anambra State, including their colleagues, lawyers in the State have sent a Save our Souls (SOS) message to the Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to step up and arrest the situation.
“The lawyers who had already declared a six-day boycott of court proceedings lamented what they described as a total collapse of security across all areas of Anambra State, bemoaning the needless killing and kidnapping of law-abiding citizens.
“They specifically noted the kidnap of a Catholic priest, Fr Basil Gbuzuo (who was later released), and the killing of Barr Peter Awa in Okija; as well as the killing of over 60 people in Ihiala within the last five months.
“The lawyers regretted that these criminal activities were no longer restricted to any particular time of the day, calling on Governor Soludo to provide solutions to the lingering insecurity which has crippled economic, social and cultural activities in the State.
“This video is an echo of the messages I have been sending to the government of Anambra State, who, instead of listening to constructive criticism and looking for real solution, just resort to mudslinging by their errand team.
“I align with the members of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Anambra State branch in making this call. As Edmund Burke put it ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’
“Anambra citizens must rise to the occasion and speak out so we can sit down to find solution. The solution to this isn’t rocket science. We have dealt with this better in the past and there are Governors dealing with this better at present.
“Let us humble ourselves to both learn and collaborate. I won’t discuss full solutions here. But I can only assure that a better and more secure Anambra is clearly possible. Daaalu nu Umunne m.”