In the Southeast, failure of governance has led to our youths been indiscriminately killed at the slightest provocation by the Nigerian security agencies. Extra judicial killings have been the bane of our zone!
The Governors of our zone have been reactive instead of responsible and responsive.
When Ipob peaceful protesters were killed at Nkpor, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state issued a press release where he tried to blame the peaceful protesters for the extrajudicial killings by the security agencies. When the same happened in Aba and Nnamdi Kanu’s house at Afaraukwu, Ikpeazu didn’t do or say anything.
They only came together and outlawed a group of people who had never wielded any weapon and had been protesting peacefully for self-determination, while Northern Governors have never condemned the activities of Boko Haram, and are negotiating with bandits.
Fast forward to this COVID-19 lockdown, a promising young man was mowed down by a trigger happy policeman enforcing the lockdown at Nkpor yet again, but the governor of Anambra State didn’t deem it fit to issue a press statement. The police called the youths miscreants because they tried to avenge for the death of one of them, knowing for a fact that there won’t be justice. It didn’t stop at the police calling our youths miscreants, they had to go to the extent of faking an acid attack on the young guy who was killed. The only thing Anambra state government said was that they were going to take care of the burial expenses of the only son of a poor widow. Justice for the poor widow and his dead son meant nothing to Governor Obiano.
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Similarly, a trigger happy policeman snuffed life out of another promising young guy at Ohafia in Abia state. The youth fearing what had been the Norm, as security agencies evade justice, took the law into their hands and burnt down the police station and their vehicles.
The much Ikpeazu could do after days of the killing was to issue a press statement warning the security agency, and we all know it would end there.
Why would it be just Southeast that such unprovoked and unwarranted killings occur? Failure of leadership! The police station was burnt down in Katsina because the police were enforcing the lockdown and dispersed people who had converged for Friday prayers in the mosque, yet nobody was killed.
How long would our young ones be killed while our governors keep mum?
By Odumodu Gbulagu
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK