By Chuks Okocha
The President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural and political organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo has said that the raging youth revolt in the country against the menace of police brutality as mirrored by Special Armed Robbery Squad (SARS), has its root in the existing political injustice in the country.
Nwodo in a statement issued yesterday, noted that the youth rebellion has brought to the fore the fundament security challenges imbedded in the erroneous political imbalance in the country.
According to Nwodo, the fact that the youth rebellion has continued days after the disbanding of the notorious police outfit, SARS shows that the problem is fundamental and should be intellectualised from that perspective.
“It has shown that the surface scratching by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu in dissolving SARS and raising SWAT, goes far away from addressing the deep-rooted problems of policing in the country,” he explained.
He note that SARS menace has also thrown a challenge to the country’s elites and government over prolonged neglect of that critical arm of life as a nation
Nwodo said that the only viable and enduring solution to the current situation is to harken to the clarion call of majority of Nigerians to redesign this country in such a way that could address the prevailing injustice.
He said that a problem like this was bound to come up when the country continually lived in denial as operating a federal structure while in truth running a confederation in such multi-cultural and divergent nation.
The Ohanaeze boss said that in addition to the total overhauling of the nation’s security’s architecture, the government should as a matter of urgency initiate the process of restructuring the country as the only way of holistically tackling the basic problems on ground.
Nwodo regretted and condemned in strong terms the targeting of some Igbo businesses particularly in Abuja by hoodlums pretending to be countering the genuine protest and warned that such wicked act will have far-reaching consequences
He charged the government to not only protect lives and property of every citizen but arrange a compensation for such mindless destructions.
Nwodo also charged the protesting youths to ensure that they carry out their fundamental rights in the most peaceful manner devoid of violence so as to make their message deep rooted and hearkened to.
