The federal government has been asked to establish an independent panel of inquiry to unravel the spate of killings in Imo State.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State made the call in a statement issued at the weekend in Owerri.
The statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Collins Opurozo said the panel should be able to unearth the real identities of those behind the unknown gunmen ravaging the state.
The party lamented the incessant killings in the state, saying the state has since relasped to the state of nature when life was short, brutish and nasty.
It regretted that some of its leaders and candidates have been attacked in the build-up to this year’s general elections.
The party disclosed that in just one week, its chairman for Ogbaku Ward in Mbaitoli Local Government Area was shot and the home of its candidate for Orlu State Constituency was razed down.
According to the party, its candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere has suffered three attacks in the less than two months.
The party disclosed that Ikenga’s convoy was attacked on December 23, 2022 while his home at Akokwa was attacked twice on January 14, 2023 and February 7, 2023.
According to the party, during the attack on January 14, three persons including Ikenga’s uncle were killed.
The party noted that no security agency in the state has reacted or effected any arrest after the attacks on Ikenga in spite of the complaints lodged by it to the police.
It demanded the redeployment of the heads of security agencies in the state even as it insisted that the perpetrators of the attacks on Ikenga must be unraveled and brought to book.
It claimed that it has intelligence of plans to arrest and detain at unknown gulags its leaders and candidates ahead of the general polls.
The party reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that his promise of ensuring the general polls were free and fair is dead on arrival in Imo State following the existence of state-backed militias.
