Awka Villages Unite Against Cultism, Seek Collaboration With Security Agencies
Stakeholders of Ezinano community, Awka have blamed urbanisation, unemployment and poverty for the rise in violent crime and cultism in the capital town.
The stakeholders made the call at a summit entitled “Combating, Preventing Violent Crime and Menace of Cultism in Awka Metropolitan City” held in Awka on Wednesday.
They called on the state government to come up with a programme that could engage youths positively while urging the Police, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps to come to their aid.
The event had in attendance, representatives of the Police force, DSS, NSCDC and women and youths.
Chief Jeff Nweke, a philanthropist and community leader in his keynote address said violent crimes and cultism were sending their youths early graves in large numbers.
Nweke said the summit was a step towards appraising the situation, interrogating the causes and finding a way out of the problem.
He said Awka had had enough of the mindless bloodletting as the killings among youths had defied all that the community was known for in terms of culture, values and hospitality.
Nweke, a private security experts called for a more robust relationship between security agencies and the community for a more effective outcome in tackling the insecurity in the capital town.
He advised that families of victims of cult killings should stop burying them in a hurry so that police could do a post mortem and prosecute cases.
“We, the people of Awka, reject this violence, we can not condone this anymore, that is why we are here to proffer solutions to this challenge, we have come to discuss and interrogate the origin of this problem.
“We are calling on the Police NSCDC, DSS to come to our aid, we need the rebirth of security agencies -community relationships because we know these people and you have to work with us for the society to succeed.
“Awka people are industrious people, we are not lazy, our youths want to work but I am pained in my heart because this is not how Awka used to be,” he said.
The philanthropist announced an empowerment programme of N100 million for youth and women as part of measures to address unemployment.
“The unemployment in Awka is worse now than it was before, poverty is responsible for the crime taking place today.
“Our farmlands are being used to build public infrastructure and we are losing our livelihood, successive governments did not have any programme to compensate these people for their losses,” he said.
In his lecture, CP Itam Nnaghe of Anambra commended Awka Community for their bold step towards finding solution to the insecurity.
Nnaghe was represented by ACP Anietie Eyo in Charge of Operation said families had a huge role to play in the collective quest for peaceful and secure society devoid of Cultism.
He assured that the police would continue to provide protection for all lawful citizens.
