Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday imposed a curfew on eight local government areas of the state.
In a state-wide broadcast in Awka, Soludo said the curfew will commence on Thursday from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.
He equally banned motorcycles, commercial tricycles also called Keke, and shuttle buses from operating in the affected local councils on Mondays until the sit-at-home order completely stops.
“With effect from tomorrow, Thursday, 26th May 2022, a 6 pm to 6 am curfew is hereby placed on motorcycles (Okada), tricycles (Keke), and shuttle buses in the Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Governments until further notice,” he stated.
“Until further notice also, motorcycles, Keke, and shuttle buses are banned from operating in these local governments on Mondays until the Sit-at-Home completely stops.”
The governor also called on residents of the state to join hands with him to achieve his dream of making Anambra a liveable and prosperous homeland.
“The youths of every community in the zone are hereby enjoined to assist the security agencies in the implementation of this policy and are mandated to seize any such motorcycle or tricycle on the spot,” he said.
“Local Vigilantes should report such motorcycles or tricycles (Keke) immediately, and they will be confiscated by the government and the owner prosecuted.
“The Okada, Keke, and shuttle bus union leaders must take responsibility to report their members who are involved in criminal activities. We shall review this after two weeks, and if members of these unions continue to be involved in criminal activities, the government will have no choice but to either disband the Unions and/or ban them out rightly in the state.”
Excerpts of the Governors speech below.
Let us be very clear. These criminals causing mayhem in Anambra, albeit of disparate groups and gangs, are Igbos (dominantly from other southeast states) whose real objective is lucrative criminality and foisting their idolatrous religion on the region. Unfortunately, every criminal gang (including cult groups) claims to be a “liberation movement”, making it difficult to differentiate between any genuine agitators from criminals. Unfortunately, also, criminals now dominate the space. Anambra is the prime target because that is the most lucrative location for kidnapping for ransom in the South East.
With their immense propaganda machine funded largely by their sponsors abroad, they have tried everything to indoctrinate the people with all kinds of false emotive narratives, and divert attention from their real objectives. They claim to be “fighting for the people”, and yet randomly kill the same people, destroying their livelihood, and stopping their children from going to school.
What has agitation to do with kidnappings including the kidnapping of priests of God, invasion of churches, and tabernacles including desecration of the Alters of God? Why is it that everywhere they gather and in every camp they operate, there is a Deity/idol to which they routinely offer blood in sacrifice? From accounts of those kidnapped and later freed the stench of dead bodies in the camps to cry up to heaven. We see videos of them and their idol worship; we note their threats to priests and bishops, including threatening to take over some churches?
The truth is that this tiny minority (certainly far less than 0.1% of us), is bent upon challenging the foundation of the things that make us who we are:
Enterprise: We are known for our enterprise but these people are bent on killing our businesses through the forceful Sit at home; kidnapping for ransom; forceful taxation of communities, businesses, and individuals; etc;
Christianity: The people of the South East, especially Anambra, are predominantly Christians. But with this gang, idolatry is back with vengeance. They forcefully try to convert people, especially the young ones to idolatry by initiating them into cults, swearing oaths to their Deities, etc with the promise of invincibility. Consequently, these youths join them as members and informants.
Desecration of our culture: Spilling of the blood of the innocent is considered an abomination by our culture and by our Christian religion. We understand that they kill and harvest human organs for rituals and human sacrifice in their so-called camps.
With their new religion of idolatry and deadly weapons which they use to kill at random, they have tried to create a culture of fear and silence. More recently, the people have begun to question their propaganda, motive and means and they know that they have lost the sympathy of the people.
