Presidents General of all the 177 communities in Anambra State
have called on
the federal government to relocate the 47 Boko Haram Prisoners, recently
brought into Aguata Prison, Ekwulobia out of the state as businesses have
grounded in the zone and investors have started fleeing the council area.
The Presidents
general who briefed journalists yesterday in their office under the aegis of
Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU before embarking on a peaceful
protest said the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has no
reason at all to move the terror suspects to Anambra State or anywhere in the
south East.
They carried placards, which had inscriptions
that protested the relocation of the prisoners including; Enough is enough, we
demand the relocation of Boko Haram prisoners from our state, Is this the
dividend of democracy? Among others went round some areas in Awka.
They stated that
since the said relocation, trading has grounded in Aguata area while investors
have started relocating out of the area, just as fear have crept into the
entire Ekwulobia, leaving markets in the area near empty as people now fear to go into public
places like markets.
National President, Dr Jude Okolo who read the
communiqué co-signed by ASATU National Secretary, Peter Nwagu said it received
with shock, embarrassment and disdain the news of the relocation of the
prisoners through the Nigerian Prisons Service.
It stated that
the people of the southern part of Nigeria, particularly the South East were
the first target of the deadly group, killing, maiming and displacing the
people and also destroying their places of worship, businesses and places of
social gathering.
Okolo said the
relocation was not well thought out, and was ill conceived, ill considered,
grossly insensitive, condemnable and therefore totally unacceptable to them. He
said if it is not, why will the insurgents be relocated to a place that was not
within the jurisdiction of their activities as they were still awaiting trial.
“The Ekwulobia
prison is a minimum prison located in the middle of a densely populated
community which is surrounded by tertiary institutions and therefore grossly
inadequate for such inmates of high security risk.
“There is no
military presence in the case of recurrent emergency of prisons breaks
associated with the Boko Haram insurgents. This is in flagrant disregard of
prison convention and best practices worldwide. The courts in Anambra State
have no jurisdiction to try them for offence committed in other states, so why
are they bringing them here?” They asked.
It further stated
that the continued presence of the prisoners is a trauma too many for Ndigbo
who have not fully recovered from the physical and psychological trauma of the
past and recent pasts occasioned by gross maltreatment from some fellow
Nigerians in different part of the country.
Also reacting,
President-General of Ekwulobia Town Union, Rev. Dr. Ezeike Chukwuemeka laments
that the residents of Ekwulobia are currently relocating to other communities
because of fear of the Boko Haram suspects deposited in their domain without
due consultation.
Ezeike, who
further alleged that economic activities in the town had been crumbled as
markets closed down indefinitely, accompanied with sleepless night and hardship
trailing his people, appealed to the federal government to relocate the Boko
Haram prisoners to a place close to where they would be tried.