The South East geopolitical zone hitherto characterized by peace, progress and tranquility has suddenly turned into killing fields where human beings are gunned down without restraints by unknown gunmen. Numerous prominent persons have been murdered by unknown persons including late Prof Dora Akunyili’s husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili at Enugu Expressway on his way from a posthumous award in honour of his late wife. Many others have also lost their lives. Sacred lives and innocent blood are over and over again spilled on the ground. Many public assets like government buildings had been destroyed and set ablaze.
The critical question remains how a lot of guns and firearms get into the hands of these unknown gunmen. This is a question for those in authority. The authorities manning the nation’s borders owe explanations on how these pistols, magazines and AK-47 entered the society. The police, whose duty is to watch over the environments with powers to conduct searches on suspected persons, also owe the nation an explanation.
As it stands, the governors who are supposedly chief security officers in their respective states are helpless as they don’t even know the plans of the service chiefs who only take directives from the President of the country.
That is to say, it is high time the country is restructured to remedy all the imbalances and inequalities in the system for lasting peace and progress, particularly, by ensuring that all ethnic groups are represented in the security architecture of the country. As it stands, Igbos are being policed like during the era of colonial masters without having any say in the security meetings among the service chiefs which is very important. By excluding the South East in the nation’s Service chiefs, it doesn’t only amount to further marginalization, but a dangerous blunder that must be corrected. Federal government should take note.
Preacher Robert Iwu wrote from Gosa, Abuja
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