Anambra State chairman of Vigilante Supervisory Committee/Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano, on Vigilante Matters, Chief Ikechukwu Aduba, a retired Commissioner of Police, has warned that if Miyetti Allah goes ahead to establish a vigilante operation in the state and, by extension, in any part of South-East zone, they would apply legal means to stop them.

This came as a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ebonyi State, Chief Linus Okorie, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to rescind its decision to establish Ruga settlements across the country.

Aduba, who spoke yesterday in Onitsha during the funeral ceremony of Chief Anthony Iwenjiora, father-in-law to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said they would not resort to violence or fire-for-fire approach, but use legal means to stop them because of the volatile nature of the issue.

According to Aduba, “Miyetti Allah should go to their own home to set up vigilantes because we can’t allow that here in Igbo land. They can also go to other African countries like Senegal, Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, among others to establish it.

“Here in Anambra State, we are capable of protecting ourselves and that is why Anambra is the current safest state in the country. We have programmed it in such a way that it will remain the safest from now and in the future.”

He disclosed that they have embarked on training and retraining of vigilante operatives in the state, in the areas of unarmed combat, physical exercise and use of arms to meet up with the challenges ahead, adding that communities in the state should volunteer to sponsor the training to enable the exercise go round.

Aduba, who led members of Egbenu Oba Society of Onitsha to the funeral, described the late Iwenjiora, who was one of their patrons, as a refined gentleman and a thoroughbred Onitsha high chief, adding that they would miss him so much. He urged the bereaved and his son-in-law, Atiku Abubakar, to bear the loss with fortitude.

He identified Atiku as one of the patrons of the Egbenu Oba Society of Onitsha, adding that the role of the society dated back to many centuries ago when the Egbenu Oba people were used as warriors of the Obi of Onitsha in fighting and defeating the perceived enemies of Onitsha, particularly land speculators.

He explained that apart from using them as hunters, they were equally used to fight inter-communal wars between Onitsha and Ogidi, Obosi and other neighbouring communities. (Vanguard)

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