The House member representing Isiukwuato State Constituency, Emeka Okoroafor, has alleged the collaboration between locals and Fulani herdsmen to perpetrate insecurity in the community.
Speaking at the Plenary hearing at the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Honourable Okoroafor stated that the raging violence experienced by the community is gruesome.
He said, “since 27th day of January, people of Isiukwuato has been forced to accept the new normal as repeated violence has rocked the community. People can no longer move about without fear. The worst is that the herdsmen collaborate with our people to commit this heinous crime.”
Honourable Okoroafor also alleged the involvement of security agents in the State in the insecurity architecture in the State.
“From what we gathered, these herdsmen have a radio in the forest which they use to communicate with the police and request for ransom. They also collect a permit from the police for gunshot wound with no questions asked. They do it with collaboration from the police.
When I told the DPO to send his boys to the police to flush out the elements, he refused but told me that the youths of the village should cover it.
I can no longer visit Isiukwuato. We must invite all security architecture in the State like the DSS, homeland security, police, the House of Assembly committee on security and interact with relevant and key stakeholders to find a lasting solution.”
Speaking more on insecurity, the House of Assembly member representing Ukwa West Constituency, Goddy Adiele, stated that the security architecture in the State was in disarray as citizens are watchful and fearful.
He said, “No LGA is free of the harassment of criminals. If an urgent intervention is not done, we might not have any crops to harvest in our different communities as it has been trampled on by cows.
All security agencies should be invited to the House of Assembly as there is a conspiracy between them and criminals. When you hand over criminal elements to the police, they will release them back into the community while the criminals promise to do worst. When you ask the police, they will tell you that there’s no evidence. Police sometimes tell you that their hands are tied. Maybe the government should vote that every citizen should hold an axe as self-help is what is better.”
Also, the member representing Isiala Ngwa North, Ginger Onwusibe, called for the equipping of the police and other security agencies in the State.
He said that the Government needs to motivate security agencies and provide them with tools as most police stations lack the equipment to carry out their work.
“We need to provide 80% of what the police need for them to be efficient in their work.”
