[allAfrica.com] Police, CLO Kick Against New Vigilante Group in Anambra Vanguard (Lagos) NEWS December 9, 2002 Posted to the web December 9, 2002 By Anayo Okoli Onitsha OPPOSITION has continued to mount against the planned reintroduction of a Central Vigilante outfit by the Anambra State Government. Both the Police and Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) have separately warned against the plan to have a central security outfit that will be under the control of the state government. The Police said the plan is "suspicious and will be dislodged with appropriate force." CLO said the government plans to "hand-pick market leaders and murderous aides" as agents to commit atrocities 'for socio-political reasons." Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju had, last week, given traders in the state under their umbrella union, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) the mandate to form a security outfit to be known as "ASMATA BOYS." But reacting to the governors' order, the Police command in the state warned against any special security outfit that would be centrally controlled at the Government House, Awka. The Police in a statement, CZ.5250/ANS.Vol.5/65 signed personally by the commissioner, Mr. A T. Gaya noted that: "This outfit (proposed ASMATA BOYS) is suspicious. This outfit will definitely be a parallel outfit to the police which is unconstitutional, as no other organisation shall be formed to perform the duties of the police. His Excellency, the Governor of Anambra State has explicit confidence in the police to discharge its constitutional duties and has expressed this several times. "No sectional or political security outfit, independent of police control and management shall be allowed in the state. Any such outfit will be dislodged with appropriate force. The traders are advised to seek assistance from the police in the security of markets, separately for each market and the police are prepared to give them attention in view of their large number in the state." CLO on its part warned against what it called "the possible resumption of socio-political killings and terrorism vide the instrumentality of Anambra Traders' Vigilante Services," accusing the government of imposing market leaders on the people. "It will be very calamitous for the state to be returned to the era of geometric terror of tragedies which it has been plunged into since the inception of the present administration in 1999 vide monstrous vigilantism. This position of ours is brought about by our recent experiences in the hands of the government which abandoned the AVS Act No 9 of 2001 made for civilised conducts of the AVS to method unknown to man and law, but only to use the law as cover when it feels threatened as a result of the AVS monstrous conducts. "It has been our position that the vigilantism that is acceptable to all is one that is completely independent of government's interferences devoid of socio- political manipulations and civil matters, as well as money making, among others. For these to be ensured, its formation, funding and control, must be rooted within the confines of criminal procedure Act of 1990 (sections 12 and 14(1), Nigeria Police Act of 1990, the 1999 constitution, African Charter on Human and People's Rights Act Cap 10 1990, independent market associations, among others. The government's imposed, hand-picked and controlled ASMATA leadership must also be done away with to pave way for a democratic and transparent elections into various market associations and so on," CLO said. Obasanjo's re-election 'll save Igbo from marginalisation, says Iwuanyanwu "If the Igbo are not part of Obasanjo/Atiku victory, we are going to be handicapped," he stated. He explained that although he was a trustee of Ohaneze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo Cultural Organisation, there was need for the people to negotiate with Obasanjo on their faith during his bid for re-election. Iwuanyanwu said Obasanjo was a trusted leader, who would not disappoint the Igbo, adding that "he is a democrat who voluntarily handed power to a civilian government in 1979." Iwuanyanwu stated that the turnout of more than half a million people at the rally demonstrated their support for Obasanjo's bid. Also speaking, the National Vice-Chairman of PDP for the zone, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, noted that the South-East "is an endangered zone" and called on Obasanjo to complete outstanding projects to place it on a level playground with other zones. He enumerated the projects as including Oji River Power Station in Enugu State, Alaoji Power Station in Abia State, dredging of Oguta Lake in Imo and dry port in Aba, Abia, among others. "The South-East is yearning for attention, as an endangered zone afraid of extinction," he said.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2002 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================