Bianca Ojukwu
By Stanley Nwanosike
Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, Secretary of the 17-Man Truth, Peace, and Justice Commission, has submitted its report on violence in the South-East to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra.
The commission was constituted by Soludo to look into the remote and immediate causes of the agitations, restiveness, violence, and struggles in the South East as well as document victims and circumstances of death, brutality, and incarceration.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Commission on Saturday and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
The statement said that the “Commission is headed by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission”.
It said that the report was submitted to Gov. Soludo on Friday at the Executive Chamber, Government House, Awka, by Ojukwu who read out a summary of the Commission’s work and later presented the same to the governor on behalf of the Commission.
Giving a background to the report, Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, explained that the inception of the report provides a framework of diagnosis for the crises of agitation, violence and victimisation in the South-East.
“The Chairman indicated that the report paints a clear picture that the narrative of the present agitation and violence in the states of the South East is quite complex and not amenable to a single narrative.
“The interim recommendations, amongst others, include a Bureau of Missing Persons (BMP) within the Ministry of Justice or of Security and Homeland Affairs to document the missing and the disappeared.
“Other recommendations include: professionalization and effective co-ordination of vigilante services in the state, institutionalising deliverables for the Ministry of Security and Homeland Affairs.
“Establishing an Anambra Integrated Civic Surveillance System as well as establishing an Anambra State Safety and Environmental Commission.
“The commission will commence its public hearings after the election cycle,” it said.
Responding, Gov. Soludo thanked the Chairman and members of the Commission for the good job done so far.
The governor also approved their (commission’s) request to extend time for the conclusion and submission of their final report until the end of 2023. (NAN)
