Southern Nigeria Advocates, SNA, has berated the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) over its recent publication on the security situation in Enugu State describing the article as “Poor Political Blackmail.”
The CLO had through her South East Chairman, Comrade Aloysius Attah alleged that the government isn’t doing enough to address the security challenges.
However, SNA in a press statement said the position of CLO is “unfortunate” and “negates what the organisation hitherto stands for.”
In the statement issued in Enugu by the Director of information of SNA, Comr. Ugochukwu Unegbu, they urged the public not to take the words of CLO serious because “the organisation is no longer what it use to be when it was conceived by renown lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba and his likes in 1987.
“What we have today is a political CLO which is available to the highest political bidder and the people handling the organisation are becoming more desperate than politicians in their quest for material gains.”
Comr. Unegbu while discrediting some of the assertions in the piece pointed out that “in their quest to do this poor hatchet job, couldn’t even get their facts correctly. Maybe they were in a hurry to please their political master who obviously gave them a timeliness to deliver the propaganda.
“Else, how can one rationalise that a once prestigious organisation like CLO couldn’t do their findings to know that the murder of Rev. Fr Paul Offu (may his soul RIP) on August 1st, 2019 wasn’t by herdsmen but by natives. SNA followed that matter to its logical conclusion and even when the police arrested the killers, the closest Northerner among them was from Kogi state. CLO should tell the world how they arrived at this sinister conclusion.
“On the Nibo incident, even a devil will be shocked at the level of barbarism displayed in the community. However, in their attempt to be clever than half, CLO avoided telling their readers that the incident led to the removal of the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State then. They won’t also tell the public that the administration of Governor Uguwanyi immediately set up a vigilante group in the area and empowered them adequately to avoid a repeat because that will make nonsense of their sinister agenda.
Speaking further, the SNA Spokesperson wondered why the CLO zonal leader didn’t mention the establishment and equipment of forest guards, support of forest rangers and vigilante groups by the State Government.
“It’s on record that this administration has made the highest financial sacrifice in supporting various security organs after Lagos State.
“The forest guards they tried so much to discredit are doing enormous jobs in the villages. We agree they need to do more but it will be insensitive not to appreciate the sacrifices of these young persons that have even paid the supreme prize in some places. The governor has given out 100s of security vehicles and gave more yesterday to the military. We then begin to wonder how any sane person not to talk of an organisation can pen such falsehood about government commitment to securing the lives and properties of the people of Enugu State.
“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t want to be involved in the tissues of lies as posited by CLO but as Advocates, we must always stand on the part of truth and because the half-truths by CLO is enough to cause tension in a southern state (Enugu State) we need to set the records straight and make the people understand that there’s no cause for alarm. We understand there are challenges but not as being painted by these political merchants.
“The peaceful atmosphere in Enugu State is visible and explains why hospitality businesses are springing up in all parts of the state. House is relatively expensive here because of high demand as everyone wants to live in this state.”
Comr. Unegbu attributed the article to politicians pointing out that some people with inordinate ambition sponsored the article which they find a willing tool in Comr. Alloy after probably, the Enugu Chairman of CLO refused to play ball.
“We are certain this is a politically motivated article and whoever that’s bankrolling it had to go all the way to Anambra to get the South East Zonal Chairman of CLO to append his signature to the falsehood. Else, if this was about Enugu State, we are sure there’s a chairman for Enugu CLO, one Ofoelue, maybe he didn’t want to the the hatchet job and they went all the way to Anambra State.
“The politician that wrote the article showed his hand when he chose the slogan of the government ‘Enugu State Is In The Hands Of God’ as the theme of the mischievous article.
“Enugu shouldn’t go back to the dark age when propaganda, lies and bloody violence is the order of the day and the only way of winning election.
SNA also urged CLO to purge itself of political errand boys masquerading as her leaders and try to return to the path of honour and virtue, which was the hallmark of the organisation.
