There is an expression of concern that scarcity of husbands and spouses loomed in Anambra State. And same for the other states of the South -East geopolitical region, raising further concern that young Igbo women risk what had long been predicted by Isaiah, the Prophet.
“In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
Here is why the South -East geopolitical zone is inching closer to that scenario, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN).
The report hints that restiveness and killings in Anambra and the entire South-East geopolitical zone will deny Igbo women the opportunity to have spouses.
The declaration was made in the report of the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (ATJPC), the executive summary of which was made available to journalists on Friday in Awka, the state capital.
It noted that restiveness and killings had resulted in a structural problem of demographic sustainability because women were finding it difficult to find mating partners.
The Daily Crucible reports that South -East has been the epicentre of attacks and killings, peaking in the last three or four years with the emergence of a deadly faceless group – Unknown Gunmen (UGM).
The group is said to be responsible for the spate of attacks and destruction of public facilities, police formations and killings of security personnel as well as innocent Indigenes in the region.
Also, suspected members of the proscribed separatist group – Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their militia unit – Eastern Security Network (ESN) have been accused too of being involved in the orgies of violence in the embattled South East following the continued detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by the the Department of State Service (DSS).
Barely 24 hours earlier, the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA (OPUK) that started on 11 February 2024, the combined JTF troops of Nigeria Army, Nigeria Navy and Nigeria Air Force as well as personnel of NPF, DSS and NSCDC cleared and liberated Orsu, Eke – Ututu, Tango One Orsumorghu, Ihiteukwa, Ihitenansa and Lilu, in parts of Anambra and Imo States.
The “notorious Supreme Headquarters of the terrorists Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN),” were cleared by the raiding joint force.
According to the military sources, the headquarters that served as the last IPOB/ESN stronghold located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra States respectively is about 5,000 feet below sea level.
It was learnt that the well concealed and forested location afforded the terrorists good cover from air surveillance and served as their command and control centre and military council headquarters.
During the raid, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops.
The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralised while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush.
This ecosystem of violence and killings is hurting the region and her people in ways more than one.
The ATJPC report stated that women were some of the worst-hit victims, as they might continue to suffer from killings, rape, loss of husbands and sons and denial of livelihoods.
It also noted that thousands of young people had been killed in Igboland since 1999, when restiveness became pronounced in the region, just as many had fled the rural areas.
“It has reduced the likelihood that women will be able to find suitable mating or marriageable partners while also increasing the likelihood that females will end up unmarried and reproductively unfulfilled,” it said.
The commission said the security challenges will further increase the number of unmarried women residing in the South-East.
“These women could remain unmarried or wait out their productive years in search of a suitor who has likely been killed.
“They may feel intimidated about giving birth to a child outside marriage for fear of being labelled wayward and humiliating their families for birthing children into illegitimacy,’’ it declared.
The report recalled the case of Amaka Igwe, the lawyer, who was killed in Onitsha alongside her husband. It also recounted the killing of Harira Jubril near Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Area on May 25, 2022, alongside her four daughters.
It stated that the killings had resulted in destitution or dependencies among men and had led to economic impoverishment for many women, mass widowhood and enforced childlessness.
The commission noted that in rural or farming communities, polygamy had remained prevalent and women’s access to land depended on their relationship with the men in their lives.
“Married women who have no sons can lose access to land and to subsistence in a political economy in which re-marriage can be quite difficult for a woman with children,’’ it stated.
The report stressed that the consequences of insecurity had negated previous progress made on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Anambra, as young boys abandoned education and fled their communities for fear of being killed or abducted.
The United Nations created 17 world development goals called the SDGs in 2015 with the aim of peace and prosperity for people and the planet then and into the future.
Anambra’s 14-man ATJPC was inaugurated in June 2022 to investigate insecurity in Anambra and the South-East. It submitted its final report to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Wednesday.
The commission has Chidi Odinkalu, a human rights lawyer and former chairman of the Nigeria Human Rights Commission, as its chairman.
