By Chidi Nkwopara, OWERRI.

As people of faith, citizens went to church in thanksgiving, to give God all the glory, adoration and praise for the divine privilege of being alive to see this brand new year. 

If we take a retrospective view of 2022, it will be very clear to all careful watchers that the last year was very challenging, especially for those of us in Imo State.

We had multiple and varying reports of the damnable activities of arsonists, kidnappers and unknown gunmen and a lot more.

People were gruesomely murdered in their homes by heartless criminals. Others were waylaid on our highways, shot at point blank range, burnt or kidnapped by the marauders. Indeed, many of those who celebrated the beginning of 2022 with us, did not live to tell the story of how it ended.

The security personnel, who constitutionally, spend sleepless nights and put their lives in line, to preserve and protect the rest of us, were not spared. Many paid the supreme price for our sake! They were breadwinners of their respective families.

Police formations were attacked, in many parts of the state. Police officers on duty were reportedly killed. Guns were looted, buildings torched and criminals in police cells, were released into the free society!

As if these were not bad enough, stories were also told of how the rampaging hoodlums attacked military and police checkpoints, shot soldiers and policemen on duty, burnt their patrol vehicles and took away the riffles of the slain security personnel.

Indeed, it cannot be regarded as an overstatement to say that for us in Imo State, 2022 was a highly challenging one. Apart from insecurity, the economic climate was also, anything but good and commendable.

The Oru, Orsu, Orlu and Ideato areas were hotbeds for these criminals. Lately, these hoodlums extended their damnable activities to Ihube axis of Okigwe, Ihitte Uboma and Ehime Mbano local government areas of the state.

A recently commissioned female military officer, Lieutenant P. P. Johnson, who was in Ihube, to visit her maternal grandmother, was kidnapped. Her captors not only maltreated and dehumanized the lady, but also uploaded her nude video in the social media!

Expectedly, her colleagues in the military, descended on Ihube and you can guess what the result of the action came to.

Ihube is now a ghost community, as most people in the area have horridly taken refuge in other towns, including Owerri. A fallout of this development is that the burial of the former deputy governor, Engr. Ebere Udeagu, an indigene of Ihube, was moved from January 6, to a time that would be adjudged as safe for people.

Again, just a few days ago, the convoy of the former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, was attacked, at a point between Ehime Mbano and Isiala Mbano local council areas. Four policemen in his convoy were reportedly killed.

There are a lot more of these disturbing stories, including the weekly sit-at-home observance, but, what has been on the lips of most people across the nation are: Who is fuelling insecurity in Imo State? Who wants to ground Imo State? How long shall this state of insecurity remain with the people?

Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma, shared his view on the sit-at-home.

He said: “On the losses from the sit at home syndrome, I think it was the Ohanaeze Ndigbo World-wide that recently said the losses are in several trillions of Naira.

“The greatest implications of the sit-at- home in the South East is that it is simply self defeatist. When you, as proponent of sit at home tells your kith and kin not to go to school, market, farm or even come out on a particular day as is not often the case in parts of the South East, do you also realize that elsewhere, your fellow countrymen and women are going to school, markets and farms? So, how do you compete with them at all fronts  when the chips are down? 

“To even imagine that the protagonists have never for one day, talked about an alternative to how the people can recoup their losses from the sit at home syndrome, tells you that the idea is just to create an enabling environment for them to advance their criminal tendencies.”

Governor Hope Uzodimma is aware of this ugly scenario and he aptly captured it in his New Year message to Imo people. In his considered opinion, the growing insecurity was “deliberately contrived to frustrate and cripple” his administration.

His words: “With the establishment of a Naval base at Oguta, facilitated by my administration, maritime security is assured in the area, which will help to combat crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.”

He described as “heart warming”, the fact that in 2022, his administration was able to wrestle the remaining pockets of security challenges and banditry to a standstill.

Continuing, the Governor said: “The few remaining kingpins of  bandits were rounded up and are now dancing to the music of the law.

“To the glory of God, security agencies were able to act with greater precision in confronting banditry as witnessed in the foiled attempt to burn the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Owerri.

“I can further assure you that this year, the few unrepentant ungodly people and their sponsors, who want to continue to unleash violence and insecurity in the state, will be doing so at their own peril.

“Ndimo should be assured that we will all be safer this year. Above all, I  give you my word that our dear state will do better this year in all ramifications than it did last year.

“Let us collectively resolve that Imo shall not witness any bloodshed in 2023. Let us  resolve to  work together to ensure that peace, unity and progress shall be our goal and that the interest and welfare of Imo State, shall supercede our narrow selfish interests.”

There is this worry: Have we not started getting the ugly tales again?