Time To End The Complicit Silence Or Risk Being An Accomplice

Yesterday’s successful operation, at Oba in Idemili South LGA, by the joint security task force commissioned by the Anambra State Government exposed a lot about the ongoing war against criminality championed by Governor Soludo.

First, is the sad reality that this kidnap hideout exist in the heart of a quiet hamlet. Primafacie evidence shows that most villagers are aware of the criminal activities, but are either terrified into acceptance or cowed into silence.

A typical example of the strong support system provided by the locals is the fact that the witch-doctor who fortifies this particular gang of kidnappers with charms and amulets is an indigene of the community. The illicit drugs and other harmful substances ingested by the gang are stored in adjoining buildings actively occupied by locals.

When the government began the “see something, say something” campaign, providing numbers where people can report criminals and suspicious activities around them, it was based on the fact that external aggressors cannot successfully dominate a space without strong internal collaborators.

Ndi Anambra, it is time to end the complicit silence and take back your homeland. Diaspora support must also come in the form of reducing the spectre of “long abandonment” of village houses. If you must be away for too long, seek for a local caretaker who can look after your village house for and on your behalf.

May Anambra Succeed!

— Mazi Ejimofor Opara
SSA, New Media to the Governor of Anambra State