Soludo To Criminals: It Is Nunc Dimitis

…Too Late in the day to spin any form of logic!

Like a hapless mother, Governor Soludo began this journey on a rough tide from the 17th of March, 2022. He himself being a survivor of a ruthless violent crime that claimed the life of three police officers attached to him in the build up to the 2021 Anambra governorship campaigns. Not even this experience was enough to radicalize a Soludo whose first move was to extend the olive branch to self-provoked enemies of the State at his inaugural address.

These imps dismissed Soludo’s amity and proceeded to grave destruction of public properties, within this period not less than 6 Local Government headquarters were burnt to rubbles, and many villages held in fear as complicity and support grew even strongly from a brainwashed citizenry who were misinformed that the actual predators/aggressors were their liberators. A Soludo began with first announcing publicly that nothing about this fledging criminality speaks to freedom fighting, neither was it explainable to any sane mind what otherwise productive young men were doing in the bushes. Stating further that only reprobate minds and animals would severe from normal human productivity to living in the bush and hunting down others going about their normal and lawful businesses.

Soludo’s continued evangelism grew into action with hundreds of bushes ransacked and countless criminal camps dislodged. While at this, a good spirited Soludo made available even bigger carrots for those who were willing to quit crime and become humans again. This effort led to unprecedented achievements by the Soludo administration in human capital development, one that is never before experienced in the State and beyond — from the recruitment of 8,115 new Teachers, over 2000 security personnels, 1000 health workers, training and empowerment of over 15,000 young people in the 1youth 2skills initiative, and the training of over 20,000 youths across four key digital skills.

Let’s not mention the free antenatal and delivery program ongoing in the State for pregnant women and infrastructural revolution and urban regeneration to make life easier and meaningful for all. The carrots were indeed enormous. But, the criminals grew hardened and now Soludo’s resolve to decimate them has grown even harder! The launch of “Operation Udo Ga-Achi”, and the signing of the new Anambra Homeland Security Law establishing the “Agunechemba” marked the beginning of the end to Soludo’s olive branch. Anambra is undergoing deep cleaning and a hard reset to factory settings. For every criminal, their enablers and support systems, the Anambra State government, with the people’s support are singing the “nunc dimitis”. It is too late in the day to spin any form of logic!

— Mazi Ejimofor Opara
_Writes from Awka, the Anambra State Capital.