South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria is one of the volatile regions in the country suffering from acts of terrorism from non-state actors such as the armed wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network ESN and other sundry criminals masquerading as ethnic or regional agitators.
Over the years, these criminal elements have been making life unbearable if not totally brutish for their perceived enemies and by extension, the ordinary people in the South-East region.
It all started with the agitation for the establishment of a Biafra state; a decade-long agitation that started sometime in 1967 and metamorphosed into a full-blown civil war that killed over a million people.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to hold the coming elections, tension is mounting amongst voters, and security agencies as IPOB and ESN terror groups continue to perpetrate crimes in the region, killing and maiming officials in the line of duty.
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Residents on edge
Ahead of the election, some residents have expressed concerns over the unchecked activities of marauding killers under the guise of separatists’ agitation.
A community leader of Orlu in Imo State, Chief I.P Archy expressed concern over the persistent attacks in the region, saying, there was need for the authorities to assure the people of adequate security ahead of the election.
“It is very bad; I don’t know if there’s any part of the south east community that has been undergoing the trauma we’ve been undergoing since the insecurity and sitting at home started. Every Monday, we sit at home doing nothing; all the villages and streets become ghost towns and you are afraid to go out and move about, lest one hoodlum will harm you.
“We don’t know if the hoodlums that scare us even on Monday would allow elections to take place because they are claiming they don’t want elections to hold in Imo State and the south east. I think the powers that be need to come out and assure the people of adequate security during the election.”
The locals also critisized the ESN sit-at-home order, a measure that is seen as a means to stamp their control and power in the region.
According to them, the atrocities in the region are largely attributed to the activities of IPOB/ESN including extortions as well as sacking of towns, villages and burning of government facilities.
There is also palpable silence as the murder of several security officials continue unabated.
In Orlu, the majority of the people are forced to maintain sealed lips as they are constantly threatened against speaking to journalists.
A 24-year-old trader in Orlu town who preferred to remain unnamed said: “This place is very dangerous; killings, robbery and kidnapping are getting out of hand; nobody talks about. From the beginning of 2022 till now; the killings have increased, especially among youths. They kill youths and kidnap people everywhere. You’ll see a group of men carrying guns and nobody will chase them; no army, no police; they will just rob successfully and go; we have been suffering this for two years. In Orlu, particularly, I haven’t seen people going to collect their PVCs; this 2023 election will be very tough here.”
Despite Obi’s emergence, not yet uhuru
Though the emergence of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as Labour Party presidential candidate for the 2023 election was said to have calmed some nerves, this has not stopped the attacks on communities in his home state, Anambra.
Despite these challenges, the people of Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra expressed determination to take part in the forthcoming polls.
Chiaka Eze and Igwe Casmir, residents of Ihiala, expressed their worries over the forthcoming polls.
Eze said the security situation will fuel voter apathy in the region.
“As it is right now, if you talk to one or two persons, you will realize that a lot of people are afraid already because of the shootings. It must affect the turnout (during the election). People are scared, myself I’m scared. If people who have guns can be attacked, how about we, helpless Nigerians?”
On his part, Casmir expressed optimism in the realisation of Biafra.
“We are looking for our own freedom; we Biafrans are praying that we will have our own country called Biafra; so many of us are annoyed that we are not getting it right; as much as things are going normal, some of the agitations will die down but for now, struggle continues,” he said.
Vin Dike, a resident of Oraifite, a town in the Ekwusigo Local Government Area, is also worried about the 2023 election. While he believes the poll may be held in his community, he is not certain however that the votes will count.
“Considering Nigerian factor, I don’t think INEC has a good history in terms of conducting fair and free elections. If you go by their antecedent, it may not be guaranteed that they will but we also know that the reforms are in place now.
“INEC is trying, we are encouraging them and we are praying that this election will be fairer than the past. Our prayer is that security should improve. I think in this election in 2023, security ranks top in everybody’s hopes and aspirations; we will like to see an improved society; we will like to have a secured environment.
Also speaking, a traditional ruler, Igwe Daniel Udoji, said criminals in the south-east have hijacked the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to unleash mayhem.
He called on the Nigerian government to increase funding to the nation’s security agencies operating in the region in order to stop attacks.
“The problem with ESN is that you don’t know who is ESN and who is not; it has been hijacked and infiltrated and some criminals are claiming to be ESN when they aren’t, so this is a big problem. The police, army and DSS should combine to really fish out the criminals.
“The 2023 election will be negatively affected unless there is peace and security because many people may not be willing to go out and vote. It is very important that security will be assured and people will feel confident to go out and vote without fear,” he said.
Crippling South East economy
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the resurgence of this regional break up spearheaded by a self-acclaimed contemporary leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra – a UK-based Nnamdi Kanu, now in the custody of the Nigerian government, has continued to impact negatively on the region.
The destructive campaign in the name of Biafra has crippled socio economic and political activities in the South East region with devastating consequences on business and the economy.
A weekly sit-at-home order imposed by IPOB and its co travellers has shut down economic activities and denies the government the needed revenues to drive developmental projects.
Businesses of northern interests as well as human lives are being lost every now and then at the slightest provocation. Innocent Hausa/Fulanis living in the South-East region for ages have had their lives cut short by the activities of the separatists.
In one of the incidences of escalating killings of non-indigenes of the south east, especially those of northern extraction, coordinator of the Northern Consensus Forum, Dr. Auwal Abdullah Aliyu, claimed that more than 100 northerners were murdered in the South East zone in one week by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), though this was denied by the Ohaneze Ndigbo.
Speaking on the attacks on INEC’s facilities, Njoku Emmanuel of Democracy and Governance highlighted some rationale behind such attacks.
“These are environmental issues that affect INEC preparations ahead of the election and I think it is mostly politicians doing this, because, the question is, the criminals that are claiming to be agitators and burning down INEC offices, what is their interest? These are clearly created by politicians because of interest. I have had conversations with people in the state; they said anytime you hear a particular office burnt, there’s a politician who believes that he might not be able to win election in the area and for that reason, he is trying to burn-down the election materials.
He also said that some unpopular politicians who are afraid of losing elections also sponsor such attacks.
Elections will hold despite attacks – INEC
Meanwhile, the electoral umpire has assured that elections will hold notwithstanding the attacks on its facilities.
INEC’s spokesperson in Imo, Chinenye Chijioke, said the attacked facilities were being fixed while the security agencies have given them assurance of adequate security.
“The police have given us their word, the DSS, military, NDLEA, all the security personnel that made up the inter agency consultative committee on election security were present and they’ve given us their word and we believe what they’ve said, the election will move on smoothly,” Chijioke said.
We are on top of the situation – Police
The Nigeria Police Force say they are making some arrests to halt the carnage. For instance, a notorious ESN/IPOB operation commander was apprehended and paraded on December 28, 2022, in Imo State.
According to the Imo State police command, he has been responsible for several incidents of unrest in the south-east, including an attack on INEC facilities in Imo State, where hundreds of PVCs were discovered.
Speaking on the arrest, the Imo police spokesman, Michael Abbatam, said “He rose to become the operation commander and the chief criminal of the group and he personally confessed to have trained over 100 members spread across the eastern zone; he further confessed to have participated in various killings of security personnel, attacks on INEC office, burning of police station, murder of innocent people, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and he narrated how his high authority directed him to go and kill Ahmed Gulak.”
With series of killings still going on in the south east, the police have assured residents of the region of their readiness to fight crimes and the deployment of security personnel amidst tension in the region.
The piece was produced with support from the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
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