The Nigerian Senate passed a resolution urging the nation’s top security chiefs to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for the violence in Enugu State’s Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area.
This move followed a motion on Wednesday introduced by Senator Okey Ezea, representing Enugu North, who drew attention to the recent bloodshed in Uzo-Uwani, including the killing of four people in Nimbo community.
Senator Ezea’s motion was met with emotion and urgency, as he called on his colleagues to condemn the attacks and direct law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to apprehend the perpetrators.
After a debate, the Senate resolved to:
“1. Urge the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to investigate, arrest and prosecute the criminal elements terrorising the local government;
“2. Urge the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to urgently establish police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area to put a permanent stop to the incessant killings;
“3. Mandate the Senate committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance and proffer lasting solutions;
“4. Urge the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently provide relief materials to the victims of the Uzo-Uwani killings to cushion the effects of these unwarranted attacks.”
Several killings in both Adani and Nimbo communities by rampaging herdsmen in recent times have put the people of both communities in grief and fear. The first major attack on the LGA occurred on April 25, 2016, when 46 persons were killed by the herdsmen at Nimbo, according to the Champion.
Killings and abductions have continued in the local government area despite promises by the state and the federal governments to find a lasting solution to the problems.
There is currently growing tension in the local government area, and this has culminated in palpable fear that, due to the contributions of Uzo-Uwani to the food basket of the nation, the persistent killings, if allowed to fester, may exacerbate the food insecurity of the nation.
It is also feared that the abandonment of the affected communities by the locals for urban areas will add to the growing menace of rural-urban migration in the country.
