All youth activities have been banned by the Nteje community in the Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, which claims the action was taken to quell unrest and instability in the neighborhood.
Recently, soldiers entered the neighborhood under the pretense of searching for “unknown gunmen,” and six or seven young people are reported to have died as a result.
This was said on Sunday during a gathering of all the community’s merged groups, including the Nteje Development Union, the women’s group, and guardians of the community’s culture and customs, by the community’s president general, Chidiebele Obika.
Abolishing the indiscriminate sale of land, according to Obika, was done to prevent the community’s children from becoming lazy as a result of the money made from such transactions.
He said, “We are pained by the state of insecurity in Nteje community today, and we have gathered here to take steps to correct some of the things that have been causing it.
“One thing I am sure of is that our youths are not members of Indigenous People of Biafra or Eastern Security Network.
“But we know we have restive youths and are taking steps to curb them. That is why we have resolved that from today, all youth activities in the community must be abolished, and all youth leadership disbanded.
“It is in the guise of youth leaders that some people have become terrors unto the community, and that must stop. When we are ready to hold elections for youth groups, we will announce it, and the people will elect their leaders, not one person standing up and arrogating leadership.
“Also, indiscriminate sales of land have caused our youths to be lazy, but to rely only on sales of land as income. This has caused most of our land to be sold away by people illegally.
“From today, anyone wishing to sell land must inform their families, and they, in turn, will inform Ojiana (custodians of tradition), who will now inform the community leadership. Same for anyone wishing to buy land in Nteje.”
The community also announced after the meeting that it would start the registration process for all outsiders residing there after learning that some of them were contributing to the local insecurity.
