A non-governmental organisation, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, has condemned the heightening political banditry and brigandage in Imo State ahead of the November 11 Governorship Election.
The group stated this in a statement jointly signed by its board chair, Emeka Umeagbalasi and other officials of the society, affirming the urgent need for Imo to be rescued from the hands of political gangsters fomenting trouble in the southeastern state.
According to the statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Friday, the group said it is “shocking and saddens their heart that the state is dangerously or gravely going through political gangsterism, killings, abductions, disappearances, house burnings and other property violence and many more”.
It further alleged that security forces have been compromised and it has become difficult to differentiate them from non-state actors. It urged democratic forces to rescue the state from “another four tortuous and bloody years in the hands of the gubernatorial incumbent”.
The statement reads in part, “We are also deeply concerned regarding the intensification of military and police terror in the State; to the extent that over half of the State’s 27 Local Government Areas and most of their ‘autonomous communities’ are under military and police siege and terror.
“We are deeply alarmed that conventional security forces deployed to the State have fully transformed into terror squads and become more criminals than those they were deployed to lawfully checkmate.
“The worst of it all is the culpable role of the State Government including aiding, abetting and using State public or taxpayers’ funds to ground the State and degrade, suppress and oppress its citizenry. The sum-total of the above is found to be politically motivated and ill-conceived and dangerously aimed at ‘retaining gubernatorial seat’ at all costs in the Nov. 11, 2023 State’s Governorship Poll.
“The democratic forces in Imo and their outside allies including uncompromised CSO and media leaders or activists must be worried and concerned by ongoing sponsored political defections and organised killings, maiming, abductions, disappearances and property violence.”
“The leadership of leading parties like APGA, PDP and Labour must live above board, shun transactional/money politics and join hands to rescue Imo State. Political defections in Nigeria have rubbished and messed up the country’s leading political actors and ruined their characters and integrity,” the organisation advised.