‘You Don’t Liberate Us by Killing Us,’ Mefor Says as Anambra Joins DSS Campaign Against Terror

By Praise Chinecherem

The Anambra State Government has warned against attempts to disguise terrorism and violent criminality as a struggle for freedom, insisting that sustainable development can only thrive where peace and security are guaranteed.

The Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, gave the warning on Saturday during the Department of State Services (DSS) public awareness campaign tagged, “Unite Against Terror,” held to mobilise residents against terrorism and violent crime across the state.

The campaign featured a solidarity sensitisation walk involving personnel and representatives of various security and public agencies, including the Police, Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Agunechemba, Heads of Federal Establishments, Ministry of Information, Red Cross, Anambra Bus Drivers Forum (ABDF) and Anambra Tricycle Riders Forum (ATRF), among others.

The march culminated at the Light House Tower, where Mefor addressed journalists and cautioned residents against being deceived by individuals who perpetrate violence while claiming to be fighting for the liberation of the people.

“We’re uniting against terror and terrorism. Don’t be deceived; terrorism is not the same thing as freedom fighting,” Mefor said.

He said the killing and maiming of residents could not be justified as a liberation struggle, urging young people in particular to reject narratives that portray violent criminal activities as a fight for freedom.

“We’ve seen terror activities in Anambra and the entire Nigeria, particularly in the Southeast. They want the youth to believe that their activities are targeted at liberation. You don’t liberate us by killing us.

“Those who are killing us and calling themselves liberators are lying because that’s not freedom fighting. We must unite against terror, just like other states across the country are doing, and we must be in the vanguard,” he said.

Mefor also linked the relative peace being experienced in parts of Anambra to the development recorded under the current administration, noting that insecurity continues to divert resources that could otherwise be deployed to critical sectors.

“If the state can experience this level of transformation amidst pockets of insecurity, imagine what would have happened if there were no insecurity at all,” he said.

According to him, significant government resources are being committed to security operations, funds which could otherwise be channelled into education, healthcare and infrastructure.

“If there’s no peace, there’s no development. We need security which is everybody’s business. It’s not government alone. We need to secure our state and country because we have no other to call our own,” Mefor said.

He urged residents to support the government’s security efforts by providing credible information on suspicious activities, stressing that information supplied to the authorities would be treated confidentially.

“That’s why the slogan is, ‘If you see something, say something, and government will do something.’ That’s also why government has intensified the whistle-blowing policy, assuring that any information received will be treated with utmost confidentiality,” he added.

Also speaking, the Anambra State Police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the solidarity march was designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of violent crime and reinforce the need for collective action to maintain peace and security.

Ikenga urged residents to reject violence, avoid activities capable of disrupting public order and cooperate with security agencies in preventing crime.

“The walk is aimed at reinforcing the security agencies’ commitment to inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing, community engagement and proactive crime prevention, while encouraging members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the appropriate security authorities,” he said.

He further called on community leaders, traditional rulers, religious organisations, youth and women groups, transport unions and other stakeholders to provide security agencies with credible intelligence that could help prevent crimes and facilitate the arrest of suspected criminals.

The Director of Operations, Agunechemba, Chief Chinenye Ihenko, said the state-owned security outfit had continued to intensify operations aimed at protecting residents and reducing criminal activity.

He acknowledged that crime could not be completely eliminated but said sustained collaboration among security agencies had helped improve the security situation in the state.

“Yes, you can’t eradicate it, but you can control crime. We’re bold to say that unlike what was obtainable years back, we’ve, in collaboration with other security agencies, fought criminality to a standstill and will continue to be on top of the game,” Ihenko said.

The campaign ended with renewed calls for residents and security stakeholders to strengthen intelligence sharing, community engagement and collective efforts to prevent terrorism and violent crime in Anambra.