Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has named Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu the Secretary of the Truth, Justice and Peace Committee, while a former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, is to head the group.
The Committee also has its members Onyeka Onwenu and Charly Boy Oputa. The Committee is charged with the task of identifying the remote and immediate causes of the agitations, restiveness, violence, and armed struggle in the South East since 1999.
A statement issued by the state government asked the Committee to “Identify stakeholders and groups who have played critical roles in the agitations and conflicts, their roles, capabilities and demands.
“Address any other issue(s) that may be germane to unravelling the extent of the crisis and charting the roadmap for the future.
“Make recommendations for sustainable peace and security in Anambra state/Southeast.
“This is an initiative which concerns us all. Our beloved state is swiftly descending into a hotbed of horror with wanton destruction of lives and property. This peacebuilding mechanism, we hope, will not only strengthen social justice and accountability but also set the tempo, in engaging with the relevant stakeholders and key actors, for a lasting and sustainable peace process and a mutually acceptable resolution of the current insecurity crisis”.
This comes four days after the governor offered amnesty to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and asked them to embrace peace, drop their weapons and come out from the forests and begin to live a normal life.