The Concerned Igbo Eze North Youths (CINY), a voluntary, nongovernmental, non-profit-making organization of patriotic young men and women of Igbo Eze North LGA, Enugu State has called for immediate restoration of law and order in the local government, following a prevailing insurrection that has plagued the town over a period now. In a statement, made available to newsmen over the weekend, and jointly signed by the President and Secretary of the Association, they pleaded with government to relax the dusk-to-dawn curfew currently in force in the town. They lamented many unprinted economic hardship the order has caused the indigenes.
The statement further charged the leaders and political stakeholders from the local government to galvanize efforts and quench the raging face-off between the officers and men of the Nigerian Army stationed in the local government and some few recalcitrant youths which orchestrated the mayhem.
The press release read:
“We have monitored with jerked feelings and palpable uneasiness, the wanton spate of insecurity and dreadful social anarchy that has bedevilled Igbo Eze North LGA over the last two months. This was occasioned by unjustified rivalry between the Nigerian Army and few elements of youthful population operating under the cover of “unknown gunmen.” The situation has led to untimely death of innocent citizens. A gory occurrence that has escalated to alarming level, that Prof. Achebe aptly described when he said: “the falcon cannot hear the falconer, and the centre can no longer hold.”
These ugly incidents compel us to issue this statement and make our position known. We therefore posit as follows:
1. That as an amalgamation of patriotic youths of Igbo Eze North extraction, both at home and abroad, we condemn in clear terms the insurrection, and chaotic spate of threats to lives and property currently ongoing in our land.
Such gruesome abuse of human rights and violation of the rights to life is strange in our town. Culturally, we are people famed for modesty of behaviour, respect for constituted authority and unalloyed loyalty to Nigeria’s sovereign entity. We were alarmed about two months ago, when we saw to our chagrin, video clips of few of our young men, in the name of Akatakpa cultural carnival, dressed in masquerades of Biafra colours, running riot and causing undue social disorder. This was against the orderliness which the officers and men of the Nigeria Army has championed from their stations across our localities, following the endemic insurgency around the country.
2. We wish to state that such voluntary breakdown of law and order runs against our anthropological makeup. And thus, we unequivocally condemn all forms of lawlessness from few native elements who deviate from our norms. But we must spotlight also, some noticeable unprofessional disposition of the army personnel within our borders. Without prejudice to the errors highlighted above, it is on record that Nigeria soldiers had visited hacking terror on our people, with government imposing an unsettling dusk-to-dawn curfew in all our town. This has caused inestimable discomfort to our people as both economic and social lives of the majority of the innocent citizens are negatively affected.
It goes against the famous legal maxims expressed in Latin: “Melius est nocentibus liberos ire quam innocentes pati” (it is better for thousands of culprits go free than have one innocent man suffer).
3. We are therefore, by this statement, appealing to the authorities concerned from local to federal levels, to reconsider their decision, and find a more conducive alternative methods of conflict resolution that will nip the situation in the bud. The Mayor of Igbo Eze North LGA, Engr. Ejike Itodo, the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yahaya are by this press release begged to take the necessary urgent steps to curb this unfortunate quagmire.
We urge Igbo Eze North traditional rulers council to wade in as a matter of urgency. The President Generals (PGs) of different Town Unions across Igbo Eze North should join in the peace drive.
4. We, on our part, will continue to partner with all organs and tiers of government and different pressure groups to ensure this aim is achieved, since it is part of the aims and objectives of CINY. And as a result, we have constituted a special task force comprising majorly the home-based CINY members to lead in the negotiations for peace restoration. Through this ad hoc committee, we will monitor the progress and efforts of all stakeholders of security administration in our towns.
Thanks and God bless all men of goodwill, who live to engender a peaceful society.”
Signed:
___________ ______________
Comrade Chidex Mr. Ikenna Asoanya
President CINY. Secretary General CINY.
20.08.2022.
