From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Anglican Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri, David Onuoha, has called on Governor Hope Uzodimma to provide a fatherly leadership that will ensure the return of peace in the state.
He said a patriot think-tank is required for the best way out of the ugly situation in which the state has found itself.
“It is necessary for government to note that its strong arm strategy has not been effective. If anything, it is worsening the security situation and creating room for further distrust of its sincerity. The clamp down strategy is fuelling the insinuation of ‘enslavement’ and making it difficult for elders to convince their younger ones to look unto God only for justice. It is imperative for government to deescalate the prevailing tension.”
The archbishop alleged that what has happened in the past couple of weeks in the state is a clear indication of the threat to exterminate the Igbo by people with access to instruments of coercion.
“What we have witnessed in Imo State in the past couple of weeks leaves one no choice but to conclude that the threat of extermination of the Igbo by the people with access to instruments of coercion is real. The killing of Umu Imo by unknown gunmen and security operatives has reached such an alarming level that we really need to stop, reflect and quickly find a way to bring back order.
Therefore, I passionately call on well-meaning citizens of Imo State and indeed Igboland to shun partisanship and unite in an urgent search for a solution to this crisis,” he said.