The Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, visited the headquarters of Aguata Local Government Area, Ekwulobia, which was attacked by gunmen on Thursday.
Soludo, who stormed the Secretariat on Friday, inspected the burnt local government headquarters and lamented that the attack was only a reprisal by criminal elements, whose camps were on the same day stormed by security agencies, and most of them arrested.
He said, “Yesterday (Thursday), security operatives smoked out some criminals camped at Ogboji and Aguluezechukwu, and the reprisal is the burning of Aguata LGA Headquarters by some of the fleeing criminals.
“Part of the items found in these criminal hideouts is a register of kidnapped victims and the ransom paid. This is not who we are, never can we, under any guise, allow criminals the latitude to define who we are.
“Ndi Anambra are irrepressible. They are out to reclaim their land. To restore peace, and set the pace for the building of a livable and Prosperous homeland. I repeat, anyone in the bush with a gun is a criminal and would be fiercely resisted by the people.
“We have extended the olive branch to all genuine agitators and made extensive calls for those in the bush to come out and shun criminality.
“How do you explain to any sane mind that “responsible citizens” have decided to pursue a supposed legitimate course, adopting criminal strategies of kidnapping, arson, and murder? This is despicable, not permissible, and against any known law of humanity.”
He added that 85 percent of those arrested are from a state in the South-East, while the remaining 15 percent are from another state in the same zone, and that there was no Anambra indigene among them.
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