Peter Obi condemns growing insecurity in South-East, Plateau, Benue

In response to the growing insecurity in the country, particularly in the North Central zone and the ongoing interruption of commercial and social activities in the South-East, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, has spoken out.

Obi pointed out that kidnapping, arson, and fatalities in the North Central states of Benue and Plateau had recently taken a new turn for the worst.

Even though IPOB has publicly denied issuing a “Sit-at-Home” directive, the former governor of Anambra State has criticized the ongoing disruption of business and social activities in the South-East region as a result of it.

On Thursday, Obi sent a message via his verified Twitter account, lamenting that the current situation in the South-East amounts to criminal conduct that needs to be stopped immediately.

He voiced concern over the increasing instability in the country, which has led to senseless violence, especially in the North Central region, and the ongoing disruption of commercial and social life in the South-East.

Recent kidnapping, arson, and fatalities in the North Central states of Benue and Plateau have taken an alarming new turn. The report found that over 1,230 Nigerians were slain during the first quarter of 2018.

Over 600 people have been kidnapped so far this year, 79 of them security personnel. As of today, the number will be staggering, far higher than the casualties documented in the ongoing slaughter in Russia and Ukraine. This is due to the recent events in North Central and Zamfara state. It’s intolerable that communal violence, banditry, and kidnapping will continue to claim hundreds of innocent lives in Nigeria every year. Many people are worried about the situation in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State because of the high number of casualties and the lack of pushback from security forces.

Even though IPOB has publicly denied issuing the Sit-at-Home command, it has continued to impede commercial and social activities in the South-East region. Since what is happening in the South East is fundamentally illegal behavior, it is imperative that the security agencies and the people work together to put a stop to it immediately.

We must be more strategic and intelligence-driven in our approach to lessening the suffering of innocent people, and the South-East Governors deserve praise for their reinvigorated efforts to combat this problem.

As the blood of innocent individuals cannot be allowed to be spilled, security services must act swiftly and decisively to put an end to these heinous acts. We, the people, through our various governments, should respond to issues that affect people’s lives with more care and consideration. A lack of safety and security has far-reaching effects on development since no business will set up shop in an area where their assets are at risk.

Therefore, I’d like to urge key players in these regions, including traditional, Christian, and Muslim leaders, to keep working toward peace among their people via their actions.

The supply of stomach infrastructure is the surer method to reduce insecurity, thus governments at all levels should make concerted efforts to solve issues like poverty and youth unemployment.

“Also, immediate steps should be taken deliberately and consciously to alleviate the plight of the people.”