Soludo receives peace committee report, promises swift action

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has received the final report of the Anambra Truth, Peace and Justice Commission, established by his government to investigate the remote and immediate causes of insecurity in the state and by extension, South East region.

During the event held at the Government House, Awka, on Wednesday, Soludo commended members of the commission and its chairman, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, for their “dedication” and “historic” nature of the report.

He stressed that the report has the potential to serve as a national framework for addressing security challenges in the country while expressing deep concern about the impact of crime and violence has caused on young people.

He said, “We pledge swift action based on the commission’s recommendations, we plan to dissolve the cabinet into sub-committees in analysing and implementing the recommendations.

“There is a need for collaboration with federal agencies, regional governments, security services including the state vigilante group, and the local communities. We have plans to share the report with national security agencies and work with neighbouring states to address the cross-border nature of criminal activities.”

The governor 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.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Odinkalu, thanked the governor for entrusting them with the task.

Odinkalu, a former Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, noted that the biggest structural factor in the violence is the political economy of land, not IPOB/ESN.

He argued that while Lagos is gaining land, Anambra is losing land due to ecological pressure, crises in leadership, and impunity.

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

Odinkalu however, emphasised 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.

A delegation including the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, members of the Anambra Executive Council, Secretary of the Commission, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme attended the event.

Soludo, had in June 2022, after three months in office as governor of Anambra, set up the Commission and saddled it with the task of unravelling the circumstances behind insecurity which was at its peak in the Southeast as of then, to begin the genuine quest for peace and reconciliation, among others.

The Commission began work by conducting town hall meetings and engagements with various stakeholders, communities, traditional rulers, security agencies and individuals who were in one way or another affected by the insecurity.