The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has urged Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to investigate his Commissioner of Homeland Security, Mr. Chikaodili Anara over alleged link to private armies, kidnapping, killings and abductions of people in the state.
The group said that silence of the Prof Soludo led Government of Anambra State regarding the recent weighty allegations against his Commissioner for Homeland Security; Mr. Anara was totally condemned.
The Chairman of Intersociety Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi in a statement said that the mere denial of the allegation by Mr. Anara was watery and has failed woefully to critically address the core issues raised.https://9f1aa9c1fd967679f96227e7c6d97888.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
” It must be reminded that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had twice in one week, 28th May and 4th June 2023, leveled weighty allegations against the Homeland Security Commissioner bordering on insecurity raging across Anambra State. He was strongly accused by the leadership of IPOB of “running a hit squad including high profile kidnap-for-ransom gangs using Government connections and functionaries as a back-up”.
“He was also strongly accused of “clandestinely purchasing acres of lands for Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen as middleman for the Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and facilitating incursions by the Fulani Herdsmen Jihadists into Awka North and environs”.
“Commissioner Anara was further accused by IPOB of “being the brain behind the general security challenges across the State” and that “he used AVG (Anambra Vigilante Services) to murder unarmed citizens and label them “suspected IPOB/ESN members”.
“The intersociety therefore calls on Governor Soludo and his Government of Anambra State/State Executive Council to carry out a detailed and unbiased investigation into such weighty allegations leveled against Commissioner Anara so as to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the weighty allegations so leveled. The Soludo’s Government must also look inward regarding the Ogbaru US Embassy’s convoy shootings and killings for possibility of insider connections or conspiratorial roles. Such must be extended to the State Police Command, Ogbaru Naval Base and Homeland Security circles.
“The Anambra Directorate of the DSS is exonerated and absolved of any culpability until it is proven otherwise and except the post US Embassy convoy’s crime scene vicinity shootings and killings and the communal raiding and indiscriminate arrests, abductions and shootings that followed, the 302 Artillery Regiment of the Nigerian Army is also absolved of possible internal conspiracy involvement.
“Governor Soludo is hereby expertly called upon and advised to rely more on generated intelligence by the State Directorate of State Security Services under Director Pawa and subject those from Army, Navy and Police to thorough evaluations and checks before being used in public pronouncements and public security and safety policies or actions.
“The Government of Anambra State, the State Police Commissioner and the Commander of the Onitsha Naval Base and his Commandant colleague from the Onitsha 302 Army Artillery Regiment are operationally start illiterate by their woeful failure to understand the meaning of “assassination by a hit squad” and whether the shootings were randomly carried out/internally/externally coordinated; whether it is possible for four sets of group citizens including two aging husband and wife with fishing occupation and a lecturer to have belonged to the same group of assassins.
“Then, whether members of the sacked communities were also part of the assassination squad, the exact mission of the US Embassy staffers and their convoy in Ogbaru, How victims of the Ogbaru shootings mostly made up of serving and retired security personnel became flood disaster area relief management or reconstruction experts, the identities of those that actually carried out the shootings/killings, whether they are armed state actors or armed subversive state actors or Government-linked private armies’ operatives, whether there were insider connections or conspiracies or perpetration and perpetuation.
“Whether the mission to Ogbaru by US Embassy convoy was official, legal or illegal, whether the Government of Anambra State or the State Police Commissioner or the State Director of SSS were officially notified, whether it is correct to say that the personnel and principal officers of the Ogbaru Naval Base are engaging unchecked in sundry economic sabotage/extortionist activities in their lines of duties including collecting returns from Niger River sand excavators and crude oil bunkerers; collecting tolls from sand tippers and other haulage lories at their roadblocks; imposing and collecting N100 per trip from every Keke rider from 6pm daily; imposing and collecting N100 (daily Navy fee) per commercial bus/Keke along Atani Road per day; and aiding and abetting kidnap-for-ransom and other high profile criminal activities in Ogbaru and environs” Umeagbalasi queried.
Credit: Daily Sun