By CHIDI MATTHEW NWACHUKWU

The Anambra Branch of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Anambra State Branch, has said that nearly 600 students who are supposed to be taking part in the ongoing second term examinations in the state have not been able to sit for the exams because of the closure of the Onitsha Drug Market which has adversely affected the finances of their parents and caretakers.

In a statement signed by the chairman of the Organization, Comrade Evangelist Vincent Ekwueme, and tagged “Love, mercy and empathy is more fruitful and rewarding than strict justice,” the group called on Anambra Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the National and State Assemblies, and other stakeholders, to put hands together and ensure that the closure of the Onitsha Drug Market is immediately discontinued.

“Information at our disposal indicate that nearly 600 students are not taking part in the ongoing second term examinations due to closure of their parents only source of livelihood, as their parents cannot afford their school fees.

“It is of prime importance to note that unusual situations call for unusual solutions, hence the inevitable need for the Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, Members of National and State Houses of Assembly, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Civil Society Organizations, traditional rulers, and markets leaders to immediately swing into actions and organize a stakeholders' meeting to proffer immediate and permanent solution to the continued closure of the Onitsha Drugs Market,” the statement read.

The statement further revealed that the closure of the Drug Market has unleashed all manner of difficulties on owners of businesses in the Drug Market and their dependents, adding that it is paramount that stakeholders in the Pharma business in Anambra State constitute a Committee to meet President Tinubu and intimate him on the terrible state of things in the state.

“The closure of the markets has brought avoidable deaths, high costs and inadequate drugs, hunger, anger, poverty, idleness, school dropouts, increases in crime rates, youth restiveness and moral decadence.

“The stakeholders meeting should constitute a Committee to visit His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to explain the unprecedented suffering, plight, predicament and agony of the affected traders, and their true, pathetic and pitiable situation.

“The President may not be aware of the degree of agony, excruciating suffering, hardship, sleeplessness, and problems that the affected traders and their loved ones are undergoing.

“Hence, the inevitable intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is needed now, more than ever before. Mercy, love, compassion and empathy are more rewarding than strict justice,” read the statement.

The CLO further harped on the need for Governor Soludo to set up a Judicial Panel of Enquiry, which will investigate the circumstances surrounding the closure of the market, and look into the complaints of some of the drug dealers and non-drug dealers whose shops were allegedly looted, with millions of naira worth of valuables carted away.

“It is pertinent for Governor Charles Soludo to constitute a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding the closure of the affected markets, the searching of shops in the absence of their owners, the alleged looting of some shops not connected with drug products as alleged by one citizen Eberechukwu Sophia Okoye, who stated that her goods worth 15 million naira was looted, and proffer short-term and long-term solutions,” read the statement.

The CLO further alluded to the fact that government’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of lives and property, and therefore reiterated the call on Gov. Soludo and the State’s House of Assembly to ensure that all is well with the citizens.

“The greatest essence of government is the protection of lives, livelihood and properties of her citizens, hence the interventions both from Governor Charles Soludo and Anambra State House of Assembly become ineluctable and inexorable,” the statement stressed.

In conclusion, the statement added that the continued closure of the Drug Market will cause the escalation of already-existing problems such as youth restiveness and the like, adding that there are high tendencies that many drugs abandoned in the shops would expire if not sold out on time.

“There is the tendency that the continued closure of the markets will exacerbate crimes, criminality, idleness, youths restiveness, deaths, illness, school dropouts, high cost of drugs, and most of the remaining drugs in the markets may expired if the markets reopening is delayed further,” read the statement.