Stakeholders at a Town hall meeting on human rights, police accountability and justice administration in Anambra State have commended the measures taken by the state government to address the precarious security situation that once engulfed it.
The event was organized by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, supported by the Rule of Law and Anticorruption (RoLAC 2) programme, implemented by International-IDEA and funded by the European Union.
The stakeholders extolled the decisiveness of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, which they noted has restored sanity to the state since the passage of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025 and the establishment of the new security outfit popularly called Agunechemba.
They however stressed the need for the government to ensure that the operatives of the outfit perform their duties within the limits of the establishment law to prevent a situation where they use the platform to settle old scores against perceived opponents.
In a remark, RoLAC State Coordinator, Josephine Onah, mentioned that her organization has supported the state to introduce some reforms to its administration of criminal justice system including the establishment of Statement Taking Room at the state CID Annex, Awkuzu.
“In the case of Nnajiofor V. F.R.N 2019, the supreme court held that any judgement or ruling of the court where the confessional statement made in disobedience to the provision of the ACJA, requiring the presence of a legal practitioner or any other person of the choice of the defendant or in alternative, a video recording of the making of the confessional statement, will be incompetent and null and void.
“Procedure for taking confessional statements has been reformed by RoLAC with the provision of an ultra-modern Statement Taking Room at the State CID Annex, Awkuzu. Sadly, it has not been optimally utilized, and the Anambra Command is hereby urged to optimize the use.
Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, the Secretary General, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Pius Omachonu, remarked, “We considered this event very apt because a country or any human society is as good or bad as its justice system. We must uphold justice at all levels of operation as leaders. Integrity is lacking in our society and that is why we have crisis all over the place. We urge those of them whose primarily duty it is to dispense justice to do so without fear or favour”.
In a keynote address, the Attorney General of Anambra State, Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje highlighting some provisions of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025, noted that the new security outfit, Agunechemba was not created to take over the functions f the police and other security agencies.
“They are rather meant to complement the work of the police. We all agree that they understand the terrain better than police personnel some of whom are sent to the state from other parts of the country and do not understand the nooks and crannies of the state”.
“This law is an all-innovative milestone which aims at fighting and curbing the evolving criminal activities in the society. Our current criminal code obviously did not envisage all these new criminal trends we are now experiencing”.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Jaja Nwanegbo, stressed the need to pay attention to complaints and concerns raised by well-meaning citizens about the operations for the new security outfit to sustain the gains of the 2025 Homeland Security Law.
Earlier in a welcome address, Executive Director, RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, described the event as an opportunity for the stakeholders to dialogue, share insights, and collaborate on strategies to further the goal of strengthening partnerships among stakeholders, increasing community awareness, and improving perceptions of police accountability.
“Ultimately, effective police complaint mechanisms are essential for ensuring that law enforcement agencies serve and protect their communities with integrity and respect for human rights. We welcome the bold and audacious steps taken by the Governor of Anambra State in confronting crime and insecurity in the state by enacting the new Anambra State Homeland Security Law, 2025. This initiative is worth supporting without partisan or other mundane considerations”.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that the event was attended by representatives of the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, (IPCR), traditional rulers, civil society and media.
