…Appoints Odinkalu, Bianca As Chairman, Secretary Respectively
The Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has kept his word as the administration on Wednesday set up the Truth, Justice and Peace Committee to address the issue of conflict in state.
The committee has the mandate to look into the root cause of the armed struggle in Anambra and other states in the Southeast which led to the escalating killings and other acts of insecurity in the zone.
Soludo had on Monday extended the olive branch to all criminal elements including members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other agitators in various forests across the 21 local government areas of the state to come out, lay down their arms and embrace peace.
There was a special prayer session by various Christian and other religious bodies for peace and unity as part of the efforts to end the weekly Monday sit-at-home by IPOB across the state.
Besides, a peace building and dialogue session was held at Awka last week where the state government in alliance with all the traditional rulers in the states of the Southeast geo political zone and all the clergies agreed collaborate to address the challenge of insecurity in the area.
The meeting also explored the options to keep the youths busy in order to bring peace and sanity in and other states in the Southeast zone.
During the meeting it was unanimously resolved that steps should be taken to ensure justice and speedy trial of the IPOB Leader,Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is currently in the detention camp of the Department of the State Service (DSS) in Abuja.
The Truth, Justice, Peace Committee is to be headed by Prof Chidi Odinkalu, with Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu as secretary.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Anambra State, Prof. Solo Osita Chukwulobelu in a statement on Wednesday listed the terms of reference to the committee.
He said “The purpose of the Committee on Truth, Justice, and Peace is to seek a restorative justice approach for truth-telling or real facts, for the healing of the victims of the violence.
“Accounting for responsibility and accountability of the actors, conditional mercy for the repentant perpetrators, restitution for certain losses and rehabilitation of the perpetrators, for the overall aim of restoration of peace and justice as well as the promotion of development in the State, and the region/Nigeria.”
According to the statement, the terms of Reference for the Committee are: to identify the remote and immediate causes of the agitations, restiveness, violence, and armed struggle in the South East since 1999.
The committee is to further “Document victims/circumstances of death, brutality and incarceration, identify stakeholders and groups who have played critical roles in the agitations and conflicts, their roles, capabilities and demands.*
They are to “address any other issue(s) that may be germane to unravelling the extent of the crisis and charting the roadmap for the future and make recommendations for sustainable peace and security in Anambra state/Southeast.”
Chukwulobelu said the committee shall have a direct reporting line to the Governor, and would be provided with administrative support to perform its duties, and shall conclude its work not later than six months from its inauguration.
Other members of the committee include Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, Dr. Udenta Udenta, Dr. Uju Agomoh, Rev. Fr (Msgnr) Jerome Madueke and Canon Dr. Okechukwu C. Obi-Okoye.
