Anambra State Governor Commends Commission’s Historic Insecurity Report

 

The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has commended the members of Truth, Peace and Justice Commission(TPJC), established to investigate the remote and immediate causes of insecurity in the state and by extension, South East region, for the historic nature of the report and their dedication.

Governor Soludo gave the commendation while receiving the members and the Commission’s chairman, Professor Chidi Odinkalu who submitted its final report to him at the Government House, Awka on Wednesday.

He highlighted the report’s potential to serve as a national framework for addressing security challenges.

While presenting the document as the new framework for his administration to think, Governor Soludo said that “they would share aspects of the document with his colleagues in the Southeast and the national security infrastructure for action.”

He pledged swift action based on the Commission’s recommendations, outlining plans to dissolve his cabinet into sub-committees in analysing and implementing the recommendations.

The Governor emphasised the need for collaboration with federal agencies, regional governments, security services including the State Vigilante Group, and the local communities.

He stated his plans to share the report with national security agencies and work with neighboring states to address the cross-border nature of criminal activities.

 

Governor Soludo reiterated his commitment to achieving sustainable peace in the region, assuring citizens that he will “read every sentence” in the report and ensure its recommendations are implemented for a safer future.

He stressed the importance of community involvement, including religious institutions, in tackling the challenges, describing the necessary approach as a “crusade” requiring collective action.

The Chairman of the Commission, former Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu thanked the Governor for entrusting them with the task.

He noted that the biggest structural factor in violence is the political economy of land, not IPOB/ESN.

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists after the presentation, Professor Odinkalu said that Anambra is losing land due to ecological pressure, crises in leadership, and impunity.

“The Commission surveyed 66 communities in the state, documenting cases of traditional rulers, security agents, presidents-general (PGs), and community members who have disappeared and remain missing,”he said.

He stated that the committee gathered 422 evidences, interviewed 187 persons, 36 memoranda, had 28 submissions from Traditional rulers, 18 verbal submissions, among others, and said that the Commission discovered that land is central to understanding the crisis in Anambra state.

Professor Odinkalu however, emphasized the need to end the use of the term “unknown gunmen,” especially by the media, develop a 25-year security strategy to reform community governance and establish an agency for the protection of victims and accountability for violence.

Among other recommendations, Professor Odinkalu recommended that closure be given to late Barrister Barnabas Igwe and wife who were killed, that reports sitting on shelves be acted upon, stressing that the way out is to deliberate out of the crisis which is unfortunately an existential issue.

“Specifically, the terms of reference of the committee were to identify the remote and immediate causes of the agitations, restiveness, violence and armed struggle in the South East since 1999, to document victims and circumstances of death, brutality and incarceration, identification of stakeholders and groups who have played critical roles in the agitations and conflicts, their roles, capabilities and demands.

He said; “Other terms of reference include addressing any other issues that may be germane to unravelling the extent of the crisis and charting the roadmap for the future and make recommendations for sustainable peace and security in Anambra State and South East.”

Recall that the announcement and subsequent inauguration of the Truth , Justice and Peace committee in 2022, was a follow-up to the outcome of the Peace Building and Security Dialogue which was convened by Governor Chukwuma Soludo at the Professor Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Center, Awka in 2022.

The committee was given a period of six months from its inauguration to present its preliminary report and had not later than two months after the sunset of receipt of feedback from the State Government to present its final report.

In 2023, the Committee submitted its Inception and diagnostic report, after which Governor gave them time extension for the submission of the final report.

 

 

Mercy Chukwudiebere