The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has slammed the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo and other South East leaders for failing to provide adequate security for the people of the region.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the President-General of the group, Goodluck Ibe, claimed that the inability of South East governors to secure the region has led to the “perpetuation of the illegal sit-at-home order” by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Recall that Governor Soludo recently shut down the Onitsha Main Market over traders’ compliance with the IPOB sit-at-home order.
The market, however, reopened on Monday as traders agreed to boycott the IPOB directive henceforth.
COSEYL further revealed in its statement that the Chairman of Mgbuka Amazu Market, Onitsha, in Anambra State, Chief Enibe Francis, who had complied with Governor Soludo’s directive, “was kidnapped by suspected sit-at-home enforcers.”
Ibe said the victim is still missing and that “no substantial efforts have been made by the governor to ensure his safe return.
“This unfortunate incident underscores the gravity of the security situation in Anambra State and raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the governor’s leadership and his ability to protect the people he governs.”
The group also slammed the governors for failing to “provide any form of compensation or support to victims of the sit-at-home orders.”
“In the past, individuals have been gruesomely killed or had their means of livelihood destroyed simply for daring to defy the sit-at-home orders.
“There was the tragic case of a pregnant woman in labour who was burnt alive in a vehicle conveying her to the hospital in Orlu for attempting to go out on a Monday, a situation that was completely ignored by the authorities.
“It is with a heavy heart that we state that the solution to ending the sit-at-home orders lies not in the continued suppression of the people, but in the provision of adequate security.
“Governor Soludo and his counterparts in the South East must prioritise the safety of their citizens by strengthening security infrastructure and ensuring that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are held accountable.
“The sit-at-home orders will only cease when people are no longer afraid to go about their legitimate businesses without fear of being attacked, kidnapped, or killed,” the statement added.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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