The commission’s Chairman Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, disclosed this to journalists on Monday in Awka, Anambra State capital, while expressing optimism that the report would mark a “watershed” in the quest for peace, reconciliation, and stability in Anambra and the South East at large.
Soludo, in June 2022, after three months in office as governor of Anambra, set up the commission and saddled it with the task of unravelling the circumstances behind insecurity which were at its peak in the South-East as of then, intending to begin a genuine quest for peace and reconciliation, among others.
The commission, which also has Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu as its Secretary, began work by conducting town hall meetings and engagements with various stakeholders, communities, traditional rulers, security agencies, and individuals who were in one way or another affected by the insecurity.
It was also set up with the mandate to inquire into causes, impact, and make recommendations for possible solutions to insecurity in Anambra.
Speaking on the task of the commission, Odinkalu said, “The job was tasking but a great privilege. The Commission enjoyed the support of the government and communities around South-East, which shows that people in the region wanted an end to this insecurity.
“We thank the Government of Anambra State for the genuine quest for an end to insecurity, which is hydra-headed arising from multiplicity of causes which were all captured.
“We hoped that the report would also serve as a reference point for other states which may want to address the security situation within their domain with sincerity and commitment, as well as for the Federal Government.
“We also want to thank the good people of Anambra, traditional rulers, town union leadership, security agencies, the media for their invaluable cooperation and support.”
Among those who testified before the commission was Obum Akunyili, one of the children of the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, a former Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, who revealed the heartbreaking details of his father’s tragic demise.
Obum testified as a witness in the special session of the Commission’s second public hearing held in Awka.
He also shared a distressing account of how onlookers, instead of rushing his father, the driver, and the security personnel to the hospital for urgent medical care after unidentified assailants shot them, were preoccupied with recording videos of the incident.
Obum’s testimony underscored the unfortunate reality that his father and the driver bled to death due to the lack of immediate assistance, leaving them with no chance of possible survival.
He also told the commission that his late father had about a 10 per cent chance of surviving the gunshot wound on his head if there was timely medical intervention.
Others who testified gave accounts of several incidents that bordered on insecurity in the period under review.
