Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has declared war against street urchins in Onitsha, the commercial city of the state.
Soludo made the declaration on Saturday, when he attended the Ofala Festival of the monarch of Onitsha Ancient Kingdom, Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, who is popularly addressed as Agbogidi.
Addressing Onitsha indigenes, Soludo noted that what used to be known as Greater Onitsha, which comprised five local government areas in today’s Anambra, used to be the very cradle of Igbo civilisation, and that for Igbo land to move forward, Onitsha must first experience it.
Soludo said, “We felicitate with Agbogidi on the occasion of this year’s Ofala Festival, which is his 22nd anniversary on the throne. I like the projection of Onitsha Ofala by Onitsha people. It is a noble culture.
“Onitsha constitutes the Obi of Ndigbo, and for Igbo to move forward, Onitsha must move forward. That is why we are working hard so that the dry bones will rise again. This is the big city for which Igbo is known.
“We have resolved to wipe out thugs and hoodlums in Onitsha. Very soon, we are coming for them. We don’t know from what town they come to take over Onitsha, but we will keep evacuating them.
“In the next few weeks, an operation will commence, something big will happen in Onitsha in terms of security,” Soludo said.
