Mandate LG chairmen to reside in councils

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the alarming spate of killings, terror attacks, and ritual-related crimes in the South-East, warning that the region is fast descending into anarchy due to a leadership vacuum.

The group decried the gruesome massacre of residents in three Arondizuogu communities, namely: Ejezie, Umualaoma and Ndiakuwata Uno in Ideato North Local Council Area of Imo State, the invasion of Ehime Mbano, and the murder of a pregnant nurse in Anambra State.

HURIWA expressed grave concern over the frequency of targeted attacks and ritual killings, noting that the South-East appears to be unravelling under the weight of unaddressed insecurity, lawlessness, and governmental neglect.

National Coordinator of the body, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said: “The bloodshed in Arondizuogu, the gunfire in Ehime Mbano, and the abominable murder in Ogbunike are not isolated incidents.”

“They are coordinated signs of an expanding theatre of war against the people of the South-East.”

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Defence and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adetokunbo Kayode, on Tuesday, called on governors in the country to issue an executive order mandating local council chairmen to reside within their respective council areas.

While arguing that the absence of council chairmen from the localities where they superintend contributes to rising insecurity and stunted development at the grassroots level, Kayode expressed concern over the prevalent practice where many council chairmen operate from state capitals rather than their official jurisdictions.

According to the former minister, local council chairmen, as chief security officers of their councils, should be physically present to oversee security and developmental projects instead of abandoning the people they were elected to serve.

Kayode, who had also served as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, emphasised that this development has weakened governance and emboldened criminal activities at the grassroots.

He said: “Is it possible, reasonable, and helpful to direct, compel and insist that all local council chairmen and councillors stay in their respective council areas and go to the state capital only with the written approval or permission of, say, the governor or the deputy governor?