Labour Party chieftain and entrepreneur, Chief Valentine Ozigbo, has criticized the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo in Anambra State for what he describes as escalating cases of kidnapping and general insecurity.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Sunday, Ozigbo lamented that the security framework in Anambra has collapsed under Soludo’s leadership while the government acts as if everything is fine.
“I’m sure when Chinua Achebe wrote his book, No Longer at Ease, he would not have known such would come to play out in his own state years later. It is no longer at ease in Anambra. From Awka through Ekwulobia to Ihiala, it is the same story of abductions of the state’s citizens,” Ozigbo remarked.
“To say the security architecture in Anambra has collapsed is to state the obvious. Yesterday’s ten separate abductions across the state speak volumes of the sorry state of security in Anambra. They include two each in Ifite Awka and Agulu, Adazi, Oraukwu Road; one in Nimo, two along the Ichida-Neni-Igboukwu axis; one along Afor Nkpor Road and an attempted kidnap around E dey Work, Nnewi Road; plus others that may emerge today.”
Ozigbo criticized the government’s focus on tax and revenue collection while the state’s security deteriorates. “While the state burns, the executive led by Prof Chukwuma Soludo is busy harassing poor market women and drivers in the name of tax and revenue collection. The incident in Awgbu that claimed many lives is very disheartening. I shared this video last week as a clarion call on the Governor to wake up and for all of us as citizens to contribute our quota,” he said.
He expressed frustration with the administration’s excuses and lack of action. “The people of Anambra are tired of excuses and name-calling. I recall how I was maligned by the Governor’s Press Secretary for urging his principal to address the insecurity in the state. He dismissed insecurity as non-existent, insisting that the prevalent situation was normal and obtained everywhere. His argument was that the situation could only be resolved when the federating units were allowed to have their own police.”
Ozigbo called for immediate action from the governor, stating, “The current situation is dire and demands urgent and immediate action. Let Soludo come off his high horse and apply a solution. I call on Gov. Soludo to drop all pretenses and do the needful, which is ensuring the security of those under his care. Anambra is broken and needs serious mending,” he concluded.
