The lawmaker representing Nkanu West Constituency, Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu suggested that as a panacea to the insecurity problem, everyone should arm themselves.
Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, decried the high rate of insecurity in the state
The lawmakers, however, called on the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to tackle the situation.
The lawmaker representing Nkanu West Constituency, Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu suggested that as a panacea to the insecurity problem, everyone should arm themselves.
Aniagu condemned the mopping up of arms, saying that instead, rich people should procure arms for the underprivileged to tackle insecurity head-on.
"What we are into is more than speaking grammar; we are in serious trouble. We need to talk to our people. We need to protect ourselves. Enugu is under siege. God is no longer protecting us. We should give our people arms to protect themselves," he lamented.
According to the House of Assembly, the state government should, with immediate effect, set up and equip a joint task force comprising personnel from the military, police, Forest Guard, and Neighbourhood Watch to decisively tackle the "menace once and for all," especially this Christmas and New Year.
The House made the demand through a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Oji River State Constituency, Hon. Jeff Mbah at the plenary session on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Mbah recounted incidences of violent crimes that were committed in various communities in recent times, especially the gruesome murder of a former commissioner, Gab Onuzulike and his brother at Oji River.
He also noted many senseless killings and kidnappings in the Eha-Amufu area as well as crimes committed with impunity in Opi-Ugwogo and Four Corners Road among others.
"Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, the surge in insecurity in Enugu State has called for urgent and decisive action. Unfortunately, notwithstanding the known enormous hard-earned resources that his Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State has applied to ensure the safety of the lives and properties of the good people of Enugu State, the unthinkable continues to happen.
"The recent gruesome murder of the former Commissioner of Rural Development, Enugu State, Hon. Ozo Gab in Oji River alongside his elder brother, the killings in Igbo-Eze North and Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, etc are umpteenth times in such reports," he lamented.
Mbah said, if nothing drastic was done, fears of insecurity might deter many from coming to the state for Christmas and New Year’s Day celebrations and engaging in social activities without molestation.
The lawmakers who contributed to the motion frowned on the unbecoming and unbearable security situation and agreed with Mbah that indeed something urgent had to be done to remedy the situation.
Leader of the House, Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, while condemning the spate of crime and criminality in the state, said what happened in Afghanistan many years ago was happening in the state, pointing out that the proliferation of small arms and weapons by youths gave rise to the crime.