Anambra Governor Receives Report From Truth, Justice And Peace Commission

The Truth, Justice and Peace Commission, set up by the Governor of Anambra state, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, to look into the crises of agitation, restiveness, violence, and struggles in south-east Nigeria on Friday submitted its inception report.

According to the statement released by the Press Secretary to the governor, Christian Aburime, the report was submitted at the Exco Chamber, Government House, Awka, the state capital.

While giving a background to the report, the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu explained that the inception of the report provides a framework of diagnosis for the crises of agitation, violence and victimisation in South East Nigeria.

He said the commission considered this as critical for an informed understanding of the context, scope, actors and typologies of violent conflict prevalent in the state and as a foothold into the region.

He revealed that the report paints a clear picture that the narrative of the present agitation and violence in the states of the South East is quite complex and not amenable to a single narrative.

Interim recommendations

Professor Odinkalu presented the interim recommendations to include; a whole-of-Government Strategy that locates atrocity violence within a Public Health framework, a Bureau of Missing Persons within the Ministry of Justice or of Security and Homeland Affairs to document the missing and the disappeared.

Others are Professionalization and effective coordination of vigilante services in the state, institutionalizing deliverables for the Ministry of Security and Homeland Affairs, establishing an Anambra Integrated Civic Surveillance System as well as establishing an Anambra State Safety and Environmental Commission.

Professor Odinkalu indicated that with the Governor’s approval, the commission will undertake public hearings after the election cycle.

He, however, asked for an extension to conclude their report.

Approval of time extension 

Responding, Governor Soludo thanked the Chairman and members of the Commission for the good job done so far and also approved their request to extend the time for the conclusion and submission of their final report until the end of 2023.

The Governor said that he will give the report urgent and serious consideration, even before their final report comes and requested the Attorney-General, Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje, who is a member of the Commission, to table the report for consideration at the next meeting of the Executive Council.

He expressed happiness that the Commission was able to distinguish the agitation from the criminality which has sadly become lucrative in the region.

Concluding, the Governor pointed out that he is doing everything that will turn the region into a prosperous and liveable homeland on a sustainable basis.

Investigating the remote cause of restiveness

Earlier, the Secretary of the Commission, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu read out a summary of the Commission’s work and later presented the same to the Governor on behalf of the Commission.

Introducing the Commission, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, recalled that at the inception of the present administration, restiveness in the state and the South East was the order of the day, explaining that to pursue his development agenda, the Governor set up the Commission to establish the remote and immediate causes of restiveness in the state and the region since 1999.

Emmanuel Ukoh