Group Holds Peace Summit In Enugu Today

Worried by a high level of insecurity and killings in the country, the National Peace Movement of Nigeria in partnership with Nigerians in Diaspora, Africa (NIDO Africa) and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State will today a hold peace summit in Enugu.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos to herald the summit which comes under the theme, ‘Understanding agitations and finding solutions to killings, genocides, and insecurity in eastern Nigeria: Designing peace roadmap and blueprint, president of the National Peace Movement of Nigeria,’ Jude Odiegwu affirmed that the summit was necessary to proffer lasting solution to high rate of killings and insecurity faced by the nation.

In his words: “Insecurity has gotten to a higher level that everybody must be concerned, so we took it upon ourselves to establish the movement to organise this kind of summit where elders, stakeholders, and well-meaning Nigerians will come together to find a lasting solution to the killings, insecurity, genocides and all manner of inhuman treatment in the country”.

While stating that a similar summit would be held across the 36 states of federation starting with the south-east come January 16, 2022, he said: we want to go round to organise peace initiatives within the six geo-political zones, and “we want to start with the south-east. The reports coming from the South-East are so alarming that we decided we must wake up the elders, stakeholders, Nigerians, and citizens generally so that we can come together and join hands to restore our lost peace.

“Take, for instance, some years ago, you can travel on a night journey, with all assurance that you will get to your destination safely, but today it’s not the same. Even those who travel these days by day are not safe. Some of these things should be addressed.

“Every day we see pictures of people beheaded, butchered, burnt alive. These things were alien to Nigerians, we never saw them years ago. That is the essence of the platform so that we can find out what the problems are and I believe we can have a headway.

“So, today we are also bringing in agitators because a lot of people are aggrieved for one reason or the other, whether justified or unjustified, let all the people that have their grievances come on board and tell us what can be done so that their grievances can be subdued. Because you can’t be talking about peace without equal right, without justices.”