The incessant attacks on government’s facilities in the South-east region of the country are condemnable and if the ugly trend is not stopped there is a high possibility that elections may not hold in the region and even if it holds it will not be peaceful.
On July 4, 2022, it was reported that hoodlums attacked the INEC office in Igbo Eze North local government area of Enugu dtate. The attackers destroyed 748 ballot boxes and 240 voting cubicles as well as office furniture and equipment.
Similarly, 340 ballot boxes, 130 voting cubicles, 14 electric power generators, water storage tanks and assorted office furniture and fixtures were destroyed in another INEC office at Izzi local government area of Enugu state on November 27, 2022.
However, on December 12, 2022, another attack took place in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, resulting in the killing of three people after a gun battle with security operatives.
Notwithstanding, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on December 15, announced that electiony may not hold in the South-east region. This was disclosed by Simon Ekpe a loyalist of Nnamdi Kanu in a video uploaded on Youtube.
He said, “To end Nigeria in 2023 is a task that must be done! There will be no general elections in Biafraland in 2023, it is a sacrifice and a task that must be done by all Biafrans across the globe” This implies that IPOB are ready to disrupt the smooth conduct of the forthcoming general electios in the region.
Given the above, the worries aren’t just for the election stoppage but rather what exactly will be the South-east situation, if these attacks, threats and intimidations continue? It’s pertinent for the South-east leaders to note that that was how Boko Haram and banditry started in the North.
The Boko Haram insurgency started with agitation by the sect members, preaching that western education is prohibited and subsequently they started recruiting youths to eliminate those who are seeking western education in the name of setting up an Islamic territory in the entire nation. The situation leads to millions of people fleed their destinations, thousands of lives lost and properties destroyed with billions of naira in the region.
In the same vein, banditry in the North-west has similar characteristics to that of Boko Haram. It started as a conflict between farmers and headsmen which eventually turned into kidnapping and later banditry. However, most of those involved in banditry were victims of injustice by the security forces and local autocrats.
Therefore, I think it is high for the South-east leaders to wake up from their deep slumber and put an end to the incessant attacks on the properties of government and private entities. They should also find a lasting solution to the age old agitation for Biafra in the region. This is because Nigeria as a nation has come to stay forever as amalgamated by Sir, Fedrick Lord Lugard in 1914 and nothing would disintegrate it.
Finally, they should join hands together and put an end to the undesirable situation and incessant attacks before it gets worse and uncontrollable otherwise, they may end up regretting in the future when the region is hot or on fire, God forbid. But, please they should do everything possible to stop the madness in order to restore lasting peace and development in the nation.
Yusuf Bukar Kaka,
Department of Mass Communication,
Borno state university.
