The Orashi Peoples Consultative Assembly (OPCA) has joined in the widespread condemnation of the granting of amnesty to a group of cultists and criminal elements most of whom identified to come from Awara and other communities in Ohaji and Egbema local government area of Imo state.
A statement by the OPCA last Saturday by its National President Barr. Kingsley Frank and Director of Media, Hope Ogaranya, noted that most of the cultists who were earlier captured under the Rivers state amnesty programme with the late Don Wanny were the same persons who presented themselves for amnesty by Governor Okorocha after having been declared wanted by the Rivers State government in connection to the New Year Day massacre in Omoku.
The statement noted that those granted amnesty were known to be members of the late Don Wanny’s brigade who reneged on the amnesty granted by the Rivers state government by committing heinous crimes against humanity.
The group noted that rather than being conscious of the carnage and the collateral damage that the activities of these elements brought to the people of Rivers State, the Imo State Governor’s action amounted to a gross abuse of power ploy to undermine the efforts of the Rivers state government to fight cultism in the State.
He queried why criminals declared wanted in Rivers state were granted very important persons status in the neighboring state all in a bid to score political points.
The group while condemning the amnesty said the granting of amnesty to the cultists shows how much the All Progressives Congress (APC) is irresponsive, irresponsible and insensitive to the plight of the families of the people massacred in Omoku on New Year Day.
The OPCA while calling on the people of the region to be vigilant because of the antics of desperate politicians who are on mission to capture the region at all costs, questioned the logic behind the minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi charge by the Omoku people to first vote for the APC in order to address the issue of wanton killings in the region.
It said “It is regrettable that the former governor and his party are playing politics with insecurity in the state so as to continually create a state of tension which ultimately will justify their dubious call for a state of emergency to be declared”
”That the former governor has failed to condemn the very sinister decision to grant amnesty to cultists who were involved in a massacre that was widely reported and condemned word wide is to say the least, disheartening and shameful. What is the APC trying to do if not to perpetually promote violence in the state while accusing the Rivers state government and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP of being behind the insecurity in the state?

This action has clearly shown that the killings that took place in the region and other parts of the state were ignited to serve the whims and caprices of a fiendish group of politicians that survive on bloodletting while passing the blame to others. We strongly believe that there is a sinister intention behind the amnesty which is to use these boys to cause trouble in the state during the electioneering period” the group said.

The OPCA called on all well-meaning people to join hands with the Rivers State Governor to fight the cultism as evident in the current Rivers state anti-cultism (amendment) Bill which has just been passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

It hailed the proactive measures of the state government at addressing the issue of cultism in the state.