Senior lawyers from the South East under the aegis of Concerned Senior Advocates of Nigeria of South East extraction (Concerned South East SANs), yesterday, decried recent killings and destruction of private and public properties, including those of the police, law enforcement agencies, institutions such as INEC, courts, and correctional centres by unknown persons in the region.
The group in a statement by Chief Udechukwu Nnoruka Udechukwu, condemned acts of arson and killings in the region saying “these acts of violence are not supported and cannot be supported by the people of the South East.”
The lawyers commiserated with families of law enforcement officers, other public servants and private individuals who have lost their loved ones as a result of the recent carnage.
Said Udechukwu: “Southeasterners are peace-loving, law abiding and development-oriented people and the recent carnage is not representative of the aspirations of the good people of the South East, just as is the case with the other geo-political zones of the country where there have been security challenges.
It is indeed worrisome that the persons or group of people responsible for the mayhem; where they are from and what their objectives are remain unknown. It is equally worrisome that the management of the crisis unfortunately exhibits double standards with regard to the response of federal security agencies in South-East vis- à-vis other similarly afflicted zones.
In order to find an immediate resolution and stop further degeneration of the security situation, the Concerned South East SANs hereby call for a truce and immediate cessation of hostilities on all sides to allow for a consideration of the underlying issues and grievances which have led to the recent rise in ethnic or tribal nationalism not only in the South East but in other parts of the country.
“The Concerned Southeast SANs hereby call on those who are destroying public and private properties, especially facilities of law enforcement agencies in the South East zone to immediately discontinue their actions in order to forestall the slide into a total breakdown of law and order in the zone.
The Concerned Southeast SANs urge all persons in the South East to remain law-abiding whilst calling on the law enforcement agencies to respect the sanctity of life and avoid indiscriminate arrests. “The Concerned Southeast SANs also appeal to the Federal Government to embrace dialogue and diplomacy as a means of resolving the myriad of growing disaffections across the entire country in the interest of peace and unity of Nigeria.”
It also appealed to Nigerians, especially those in leadership positions to desist from rhetoric capable of inflaming the situation, rather than bringing the desired peace and unity which the country desires.
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“In this regard, Concerned Southeast SANs respectfully request General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Colonel Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) jointly with other well-meaning Nigerians from the six geopolitical zones to intervene quickly in the matter with a view to securing a truce which would provide a conducive atmosphere for resolving the underlying issues which are currently threatening the survival of our dear nation.”
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