Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
Recently Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti was asked to resign over his alleged lack of capacity to sustain the security and peace supposedly bequeathed to Abians by the last administration.
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The demand was made by the Abia Renaissance Movement (ARM) in a statement signed by its convener, Comrade Ukachukwu Chinonso and the secretary-general, Mrs. Maria Nwokoma.
In the statement made available to newsmen, ARM said “the spate of car theft, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and other violent crimes is not only alarming but assuming even more dangerous dimensions everyday.”
The group also noted that two journalists/radio pundits and an Eze-elect were among the latest victims of these crimes in just 24 hours.
“Our brother Steve Oko who is a journalist with Vanguard Newspapers and also a political analyst on radio, Joseph Ejindu, a popular public affairs commentator on radio, too and Chief Dan Silas, the Eze-elect of Amawo Nkwo-Ogu are among several victims of these recent upsurge of violent crimes in the State.
“While Oko’s car was stolen on Saturday from where it was parked in Umuahia, Joseph Ejindu was kidnapped alongside other passengers on his way from Aba to Umuahia. As if that was not enough, Chief Dan Silas was also kidnapped about 8:30pm somewhere around his country home in Amawo Nkwo-Ogu in Osisioma LGA and two men conveying people to a ceremony were ambushed and shot dead at the Lokpanta area of the state, all within 24 hours. Reports from Aba are even more alarming with citizens living in fear.
“Abians have never had it so badly. We are satisfied with our conscience because we raised the alarm of the consequences of several of Otti’s ill-thought policies that can trigger crime so early into his administration. But we were called names, and today, the chicken seems to have come home to roost.
“So far, Mr Alex Otti has shown no capacity for public service leadership and we, as a matter of urgency, demand his resignation before the situation gets worse under him. As it is now, it seems Otti’s campaign slogan of ‘At Last, Help is Here’, actually meant, ‘At last, hell is here’.
“Abians can no longer endure this raging hell”, the group said.
This is the height of irresponsibility and taking politics too far for anyone to blame the new administration for the insecurity in the state. Expecting Otti to correct the mess that was created by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which provided enabling environment for crime and criminality in the state in less than a month in power says a lot about those who are making such demands.
If we may ask, was Otti the governor of Abia State in July 2022, when gunmen, suspected to be kidnappers, abducted some travellers in Lokpanta, a community in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State? The victims — who were travelling in a Toyota Corolla car –– were attacked by the gunmen operating on two motorcycles. A witness, said the gunmen double-crossed the victims’ car with the motorcycles and forcefully led them into a nearby bush.
Was Otti the governor of Abia State in June 2022 when the Methodist Prelate was abducted in Abia State leading to protest by Umunneochi people over incessant kidnapping of people around the area.
Was Otti the governor of Abia State when unknown gunmen abducted the Deputy Registrar of Catholic Spiritan University, Nneochi, Rev. Fr. Chinedu Nwadike along Okigwe – Enugu Road, Umunnochi, Abia State.
He was kidnapped alongside a seminarian while on their way to Enugu for an official assignment. The abductors demanded a ransom of N50m.
All the anti-kidnapping measures put in place by the previous government of Abia State to stem the kidnapping activities linked to herdsmen did not yield the desired results. This was made known by the communities in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State worst hit by the menace of the criminal herdsmen suspected to be the perpetrators of abductions and rape in the area. The youth leader of Umunneochi council, Prince Divine Uche, said that kidnapping for ransom perpetrated by suspected herdsmen had continued to go on unabated, defying government efforts. According to him, even after the abduction of the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche and the attendant worldwide condemnation and publicity the dastardly act elicited, kidnappers have continued their business as usual.
“Three days ago, a boy of less than 15 years was Kidnapped. The other day, they also kidnapped another boy riding motorcycle and took him to the bush demanding N3 million ransom,” he lamented. This state of insecurity was perpetrated under the watch of the Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP administration. It is therefore preposterous that the PDP who failed woefully in protecting the lives of Abians has the temerity to hide behind an NGO to ask for the resignation of Otti who inherited the insecurity mess of the PDP.
What Otti needs is the support of well meaning Abians as he began cleansing the Augean stable that he sadly inherited. This is not time to score cheap political points, especially coming from the PDP that made Abia the worst performing state in all indices of development in South East and indeed, nationwide!