The Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (ATJPC) constituted by Governor Charles Soludo in June 2022 to inquire into the violent agitations and restiveness in the state and the South East, has tasked the state and federal governments on safety and security of citizens.
Speaking to Voice of Nigeria in Awka, Anambra State, at the end of the second public hearing of testimonies on insecurity, violence and violence-related deaths by communities and other stakeholders, the Chairman of the commission, Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu called on the government to always prioritize the safety and security of citizens.
According to Professor Odinkalu, “We are going to be quite methodical in the way we approach analytics and recommendations and we are hoping that the evidence will lead the state government in the direction of doing things a little differently but not just the state government because primary responsibility for safety and security actually lies with the federal government, so ultimately, our report will be going to the federal government.”
On the activities of the commission during the past 8days, Professor Odinkalu said, “I can say confidently for every member of my commission which includes the retired commissioner of police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, the attorney general and commissioner for justice Anambra State, Professor Sylvia Chika Ifejeme, the secretary, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu, Monsignor Jerome Madueke, among others, have learnt about things they could not have known about without the benefit of the commission. We covered a minimum of about 6 communities everyday. We got through about 40 communities, give or take over the 8 days.
“The amount of evidence we have is quite considerable.We are going to be taking time to analyze them.The diagnosis that emerges is a lot more complex than people think.There are lots of things that can be fixed in a short term which if we address them will go a long way to addressing these issues.For instance, the capacities of the directorate of public prosecutions in the state can be addressed in a short term quiet easily likewise the interface between vigilantes and the uniform security services including training, doctrine and standardizing those.
“There are some parts of the state where the issues do not have anything at all to do with Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), like boundary issues leading to a lot of killings, natural resources issues, exploitations within Anambra State including oil discovery, issues of management of inland waterways.So there are several issues we don’t have to address within the framework of a kinetic response to agitation and we will be isolating those than looking for ways to deal with them,” Odinkalu stated.
Also speaking to Voice of Nigeria, a member of the commission,the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Anambra State , Professor Sylvia Chika Ifejeme, emphasized that the essence of setting up the commission is getting to the root of the agitation and unrest in the Southeast and nipping it in the bud.
On the submission of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Anambra State chapter, to the commission for reinstatement in the state, Professor Ifejeme said, “They need to write a petition to my office and tell me what exactly they are proposing and justify their recommendation. Then,if their agitation carries weight, I will oblige them and write a legal advice to the commissioner for transport to consider reinstating them if I think there is genuine reason for that.”
The commissioner further appreciated the communities, individuals and groups who appeared before the commission during the second public hearing.
She assured of timely delivery of their recommendations to the governor.
Meanwhile, the Commission’s Chairman, Professor Chidi Odinkalu affirmed that the Commission would deliver the report to the government in the next two months.
