It is no longer news that the South-east region has been an occupied region for so many years by almost all of the security agencies.
It took observing other regions for people to understand that the way the security agencies are deployed to the South-east marks a region under siege and comes off as a region checkmated.
Insecurity in the South-east was not prevalent to warrant such occupation when other regions grappling with more serious security challenges have not been occupied in the manner the South-east region has been.
Over the years, the region was filled with the police and military at a 1km distance per checkpoint in the least. This gave the impression that the region breeds criminalities that must be contained but also could mean an extension of the Biafran war to subdue the region. That was not enough as some rogue policemen at a time were shooting individuals who could not give them certain amounts of money when they were flagged down.
In the highest decision making of the security architecture of Nigeria, there is no South-east person in it. Whether the agencies or National Security Council, in fact, no South-east person was found competent to be a part of the high security decision makers of the country. As the South-east currently grapples with insecurity, there is no representative from the zone to take part in the decisions and strategies deployed to tackle the insecurity in the zone.
South-east, before these security challenges was adjudged a peaceful region burdened with the bustling of socio-economic transactions. People went about their business while maintaining law and order. Although no society can be totally free from any skirmishes of insecurity, the South-east also had pockets of criminalities and attacks orchestrated by the herdsmen.
In the last few months, the South-east is becoming a wasteland with killings and destruction of property almost on a weekly basis as shootings occur even in a public glare.
A video obtained by ChannelsTV of a shooting scene in Anambra state seemed like a war zone. An unsuspecting person may at first think it is a scene obtained from a war movie but the scene is a live incident between the police and inexplicable assailants.
Of utmost perturbing is that the security agencies have failed to unravel the persons behind such killings hiding in the guise of unknown gunmen. The security agencies blame the IPOB/ESN who with their sit-at-home orders has laid the South-east prostrate. The IPOB had at several times distanced itself from these killings, yet the killings have continued.
When the federal government which is in control of the national security architecture is yet to unravel and bring the perpetrators of these killings to book. The Nigerian soldiers are seen in a video, raining down bullets openly and burning houses in Mgbowo, a town in Enugu state. While the Nigerian Army has distanced itself from the scene, it did not deny that they conducted an operation in the town. The soldiers in the video were heard bragging in Pidgin English; “everywhere catch fire…na who dey check am…na we dey run now…burn everywhere.”
Whoever might be in denial should look intently on how the South-east is under siege by the security agents as well as ‘unknown gunmen’. It may be convenient to an onlooker to decipher that the battle for the soul of Igbo land has been activated by all forces both internal and external.
In all these, the people who are the unsuspecting victims are in the middle of these social manipulations. In fact, their blood and sweat are the lubricants for these shenanigans.
Could the insecurity be political as the South-east region is poised to produce the next Nigerian president? Insecurity in Anambra state in particular could also be political towards clinching the state by interested players. While Gov. Uzodinma had pointed out that 70 percent of gunmen who attacked Imo were not Igbo, Gov. Obiano alleged the perpetrators of these crimes are from outside Anambra state. As it seems, the insecurity is moving from state to state.
The Anambra election is in the midst of these. While IPOB has ordered a sit-at-home for days covering the election period, MASSOB has countered the sit-at-home order. The fear created in people even as tens of thousands of security agents are being deployed to the state, will not only activate the already identified voting apathy in the state, it will totally affect the turn-out and ultimately yield to the seeming strategy to weaken Igbo land through insecurity and placing weak individuals at the leadership positions who often are not forthcoming towards the interests of Igbo people.
Anambra people must refuse and be ready to exercise their constitutional rights to vote and not yield to the machinations targeting the Anambra and Igbo people. Otherwise, the Igbo people should continue to welcome poor governance.
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