Anambra Central senator, Victor Umeh, has decried the killing of youths in Nibo community on Sunday during a traditional festival.
Umeh in a statement he personally signed, said a stakeholder in the area has confirmed to him that 16 persons were felled during the attack.
This is contrary to claims by Police authorities in the state that only five people were killed.
Umeh said: “It is with shock and deep pain that I condemn the shooting which took place in Nibo in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra Central Senatorial District, in Anambra State on Sunday, 20th October, 2024.
“From the information I received from an indigene of Nibo who is a major stakeholder in the community, about 16 people were killed in the shooting, with several other injured persons still lying critically in the hospitals.”
Umeh emphasized that the shooting took place just a few poles from the Governor’s Lodge, saying that this shows how unsafe the state under Soludo had become.
He added, “It has been Tales of killings and kidnappings across the state without any visible efforts to stem the tide for a long time now.
“While I commiserate with the families of the victims and Nibo Community, I urge people who are killing and kidnapping people in the state to lay down their arms.
“Killings and wasting of human lives go a long way in diminishing our State. Those events scare our people from returning home and discourage businesses and investments in Anambra State.”
The senator tasked the governor to provide adequate security for lives and properties in the state, saying it is the major primary responsibility of government.
“The outcry of the citizens over the unsafe and porous security in the state should not be politicized by the agents of the state government. This is a matter of grave concern to all and sundry,” Umeh stressed.