With effect from tomorrow, Friday, 26th May, 2022, a 6pm to 6am curfew is hereby placed on motorcycles (okada), tricycles (keke), and shuttle buses in Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Governments until further notice.
Until further notice also, motorcycles, keke and shuttle buses are banned from operating in these local governments on Mondays until the Sit-at-Home completely stops.
According to a Press Statement by Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR (Governor of Anambra State) at a News conference: Awka, Wednesday, 25th May 20222
Umu nnem, Ndi Anambra!
“You employed me to lead the process of building a livable and prosperous homeland. After swearing-in on the 17th March, 2022, I worked for 8 hours and 45 minutes that day and have kept working hard every day to make you proud. A lot is ongoing, and we will report to you in due course. However, we recognized from the first minute that restoring peace and security will be foundational to our larger agenda as a people.
See also Medical Officer (GL 15) at the Anambra State Government
“We devoted several paragraphs in our inaugural speech to underscore the grave security challenges we inherited (with the deadly criminal gangs largely in occupation of 8 local governments).
Recall that I was attacked by so called “unknown gunmen” while addressing youths at a rally in March 2021 leaving three policemen dead, and indeed hardly any candidate could campaign freely in the seven local governments of the south senatorial zone in 2021″.
I knew the grave situation, and determined to confront it. I met with the state security council for three and half hours on the first day and there was the consensus to deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
While the security agencies have do their best with limited resources, we are convinced that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved without the cooperation and solidarity of the people. Consequently, we went to work to mobilize our people and address the wider socio-economic and legacy issues fueling agitations and insecurity.
We consulted and collaborated with the South East Joint Body of Bishops and traditional rulers; issuing joint statements, with the Joint body of bishops organizing prayers sessions in the entire South East on 4th April, 2022, with the goal of ending the Sit-at-home and ensuring an enduring peace and security in the South East;
We organized Anambra Peace and Security Dialogue, with the leadership of the Christian denominations, town unions, traditional rulers, youth organizations, women, market, and transport unions, as well as political leaders and non-indigenes on XX with a Communique calling for an end to the Sit- at home—and peace and security in the South East on 2nd April, 2022;
See also Nursing Officers at the Anambra State Government
We offered the Olive branch to all the armed youths in the forests to come out, surrender their guns and with the commitment that our government would help to retrain and empower them to contribute positively to our development. Our government has, in our proposed revised budget, provided handsomely for youth empowerment.
The official leadership of IPOB also repeatedly issued statements dissociating itself from the senseless and destructive Sit- at home on Mondays etc as well as the kidnappings and criminal actions of gangs in the state and the south east;
We set up the Truth, Justice and Peace Committee, with the goal of getting to the remote and immediate causes of the agitation and criminality, with a view to proffering systematic and lasting solutions;
“We have severally again met with town union leaders and traditional rulers; landlords etc, all in the mobilization of the people for lasting peace and security”
See also Medical Laboratory Technician at the Anambra State Government
“True to our commitment to engage with ALL state and non-state actors relevant to the search for lasting peace and security, we visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and he reiterated that he never authorized the senseless Sit at Home, and absolved his organization, IPOB, from the crass criminality especially the barbaric enforcement of the Sit at home and the kidnappings and spilling of blood”.
” Mazi Kanu expressed his willingness to personally address the press to charge his followers to keep the peace. Subsequently, his lawyer issued an official statement confirming this position and his associate also addressed the media in the same vein”
“We also have Town Hall meetings with Ndi Anambra in Lagos and Abuja, and our people united in their condemnation of the criminality going on in the state and environs, and demonstrated their commitment to join hands with us in solving it”.
