SINCE August 5, Miss Chidubem Eze, an indigene of Ngbo in Ebonyi State who resides in Umuchukome Ukpor Nno in Anambra State, has been languishing in the hospital she was rushed to after an alleged vicious attack on her by two boys said to be children of her neighbour. The attack, which was allegedly unprovoked, was grave: the assailants reportedly beat her to a pulp and dealt her several machete blows which sliced open parts of her head. Her account and that of an eyewitness, which corroborated each other, indicate that she was attacked while running an errand for her mother. The barbaric attack was bad enough but the veritable and worrying issue now is that the attackers have abandoned the victim in hospital while her mother too has succumbed to the threat by the attackers that she should leave Umuchukome in Anambra State or face dire consequences. In other words, the girl who is yet to recover after being battered and who still needs medical attention has been left in the lurch as there is neither fund to procure the surgeries/medical treatment needed to restore her health nor the much needed moral support the presence of her mother could offer. And even at that, she has been allegedly threatened by those who put her in that precarious condition not to contemplate returning to the compound where she lived with her parent. The hapless girl has been crying and lamenting that she is dying slowly and seriously needs help.
The undercurrent of the ill-treatment of Miss Eze and her mother is allegedly down to the fact that they are indigenes of Ebonyi State while they reside in Anambra State! That is a most disturbing insinuation if it is proven to be true. Yes, there might be more to the narrative than had been told by just a party to the issue, but regardless of the remote or immediate cause(s) of the unfortunate incident, the resort to self-help is uncivilised and criminal, and the indignation of many a Nigerian towards the dastardly is not assuaged by the fact that under similar circumstances, whatever they are, the assailants could not have maltreated indigenes of Umuchukome the same way they have treated Miss Eze and her mother. It is most unfortunate. How and why should there be a similitude of second-class citizenship within the same geopolitical zone? Why should a young girl, a Nigerian and, more significantly, an Igbo, be treated in such a shabby manner just because she and her mother reside in a state other than their state of origin? This is obnoxious and patently contrary to the extant laws of the land.
We call on the Anambra State government to intervene swiftly and decisively. We do not believe that it is a policy of the state that Igbos who are not indigenes of Anambra State should be maltreated but unfortunately, that is the odious message being communicated in this case. A young girl’s head was literally cut open, yet her assailants are walking free on the streets and even issuing threats of further attacks if certain ignoble and unlawful rules by them are not complied with. And this sense of noxious liberty and perilous indulgence is because these assailants are supposed sons of the soil and well connected! The mother of the victim cannot even stay with her in hospital because the attackers and their alleged abetter have threatened to kill mother and daughter if they do not exit Anambra State!
The state government should be interested in this matter. The natural question on the lips of the average Nigerian is this: if two Nigerian citizens of Igbo extraction are treated so viciously and horribly because they are from a neighbouring state, then what happens to non-Igbos in the state? We expect all reasonable, responsible and law-abiding Anambra citizens to rise up against this evil by condemning it in no unmistakable terms and by sensitising their compatriots to appreciate the fact that any form of discrimination is illegal and morally reprehensible. The alleged xenophobic tendency is most uncivilised and criminal.
The optics are terribly bad. How can a bunch of primitive felons threaten a young girl they almost killed with yet another attack that will lead to death if she and her mother do not leave Anambra for their state of origin? It is imperative to note that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) has provisions that outlaw the threats of expulsion by the savages in Anambra State. Specifically, Section 41(1) of the Constitution provides that: “Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom”. This section of the Constitution, together with other relevant provisions, guarantees the right of every citizen to reside in any part of the country without being visited with any form discrimination or molestation. However, all citizens, whether they reside in their state of origin or outside of it, are called upon to conduct their affairs within the precincts of the law. And even in circumstances where there is a breach of the law, it is not the place of the indigenes of the state where the infraction takes place to impose punishment, taking the law into their own hands. Citizens’ duty is limited to reporting to the appropriate security agencies whenever they observe or become aware of any breach of the law. Even though a private citizen or any party other than the regular security agencies has the power to arrest when they directly observe someone committing an offence, the requirement of the law is that such suspect must be promptly handed over to the police. Thus, the question of anyone resorting to anarchy under any guise should not arise.
We urge the police to swing into action and launch a painstaking inquiry into the Umuchukome episode in Anambra State. The assailants of Miss Eze and anyone who has anything to do with the dastardly act should be punished to the full extent of the law if found guilty. The bizarre incident is a disgusting anathema in a 21st century Nigeria.
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