Fides Media Living the Faith
Or, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has described the attack by gunmen on Nnewi South Local Government Headquarters as a very sad moment in the state. Soludo stated this while on a visit to the scene of the early Thursday morning attack that claimed the life of a security man.
The gunmen had attacked the council headquarters in Ukpor and killed a security guard on duty, while also razing several buildings within the secretariat in what was the first of such attack since Soludo assumed office as governor, March 17 this year.
Soludo, accompanied by his aides and some security agencies, visited the council headquarters to inspect the structures and assess the level of damage in the area.
He described the incident as a very sad moment and expressed the need to unravel the cause of the attack.
It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the council headquarters around 12:30am on Thursday and killed the security guard to gain access to the secretariat.
But reacting to the attack, Soludo said that whatever the motive or cause, or whatever those behind the attack might be protesting against, arson and bloodletting could not be part of it.
He regretted that the state government would have to spend money meant for other projects to rebuild the destroyed building.
‘Who is the loser? The common man on the street. My heart bleeds,’ Governor Soludo said, while assuring that the security agencies would get to the bottom of the incident. He expressed his resolve to restore law and order in the state.
It will be recalled that Soludo, in his inaugural address, promised to engage in a dialogue with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other disparate groups to restore peace and security in the state.
IPOB, a group seeking the creation of an independent state of Biafra, which they want carved out from the Southeast and some parts of South-South, has been linked to some of the deadly attacks across the two regions.
The attacks have crippled the economy of the Southeast region, particularly, with some parts of the state now becoming danger zones.