Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, at the weekend, met with youths from 179 communities and student representatives from tertiary institutions across the state to deliberate on calls to disband the state security outfit, Agunechemba, and disarm its operatives.
The meeting, held at the new Government House, Awka, saw the youths and students express solidarity with the governor and support for Agunechemba, which they credited with helping to maintain peace and security in the state.
Speaking during a separate visit to the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ernest Ezeajughi, President of the Anambra State Town Union Council (ASTUC) Youth Wing, Ken Okoli, said the rally’s theme, “Anambra is Ours and Anambra We Serve,” underscored the shared responsibility of both indigenes and non-indigenes in protecting the state. He argued that opposition politicians were behind calls to scrap Agunechemba and its sister outfit, Udogachi, warning that doing so could embolden criminals.
Okoli maintained that Agunechemba operates in all 179 communities with the backing of traditional rulers, town unions and the police. While condemning the assault on a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elohor, by some operatives, he urged calm, insisting the actions of a few should not lead to the disbandment of the outfits.
Students under the Joint Campus Council also visited the Government House, with their spokesperson, Ifeanyichukwu Chukwuemelie, who is President of the Student Union Government at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, praising the initiative for safeguarding lives and property. He urged citizens to support security operatives with information, stressing that safety is a collective responsibility.
Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Affairs, Okoye Matthew Okpala, commended the students for their peaceful demonstration, describing them as an influential bloc constituting about 30 per cent of each community’s population.
Responding, Ezeajughi appreciated the solidarity visits, warning that disbanding or disarming Agunechemba would open the door to kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals. He said the security outfits had significantly reduced crime, creating the atmosphere for the governor to deliver human capital and infrastructure projects, including the Light House and the new Government House, which had been stalled for 24 years before Soludo completed it within three years. He, however, condemned the maltreatment of the NYSC member, stressing that the law must take its full course.
