Take a fresh look at your lifestyle.

South East crisis: Concerned SANs condemn violence, call for truce 

Anthony Iwuoma

A group of senior lawyers in eastern Nigeria has condemned the spate of violence in Igbo land and called on the combatants to sheath their swords.

The group, under the aegis of  Concerned Senior Advocates of Nigeria of Southeast Extraction (Concerned Southeast  SANs), noted with deep regret the recent killings and destruction of private and  public properties, including those of the police and other law enforcement agencies, as well as state institutions, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), courts and correctional centres by alleged unknown  gunmen.

A statement signed on behalf of the group by Chief Udechukwu Nnoruka Udechukwu read: “The Concerned Southeast SANs condemn unequivocally and in very clear terms the  said acts of arson and the taking of human lives in the process. These acts of violence are not supported and cannot be supported by the people of the Southeast. The Concerned South East SANs commiserated with the families of law enforcement officers, other public servants and private individuals, who have lost their loved ones as a result of the recent carnage.”

READ ALSO: https://www.thexpressng.com/2021/06/08/new-fina-president-al-musallam-pledges-prize-money-increase-for-swimmers/

Describing South East people as ‘peace-loving, law abiding and development-oriented’, it said  the recent carnage is alien to Ndigbo but expressed worry that  “the persons or group of people responsible for the  mayhem; where they are from and what their objectives are remain unknown. It is  equally worrisome that the management of the crisis unfortunately exhibits double  standards with regard to the response of Federal security agencies in South-East vis à-vis other similarly afflicted zones.

“In order to find an immediate resolution and stop further degeneration of the security  situation, the Concerned Southeast SANs hereby call for a truce and immediate  cessation of hostilities on all sides to allow for a consideration of the underlying issues  and grievances, which have led to the recent rise in ethnic or tribal nationalism not  only in the Southeast but in other parts of the country.”

It charged, “those who are destroying public and  private properties, especially facilities of law enforcement agencies in the Southeast  zone to immediately discontinue their actions in order to forestall the slide into a total  breakdown of law and order in the zone.”

While urging the people to remain law-abiding, the concerned SANs also called on the law enforcement agencies to respect the sanctity of life and avoid indiscriminate arrests.

“The Concerned Southeast SANs also appeal to the Federal Government to embrace dialogue and diplomacy as a means of resolving the myriad of growing disaffection  across the entire country in the interest of peace and unity of the Federal Republic of  Nigeria,” the statement further said.

The group appealed to all Nigerians, especially those in leadership positions to desist from rhetoric capable of inflaming the situation rather than bringing the desired peace and unity which Nigerians earnestly desire.

 

Comments
Loading...