Bianca Ojukwu has disclosed a significant revelation made by the Anambra Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission in a statement posted on her Facebook page titled, “A Mass Grave Site Unearthed in Anambra and Secured for Forensic Examination.”<\/p>\n
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain did not specify the exact location of the mass grave but explained that the Commission of Inquiry was alerted to its existence through witness testimonies.<\/p>\n
According to Ojukwu, the Commission has confirmed the deaths of approximately 322 individuals due to acts of violence, as attested by witnesses who appeared before the Anambra Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission.<\/p>\n
The Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission was established in June 2022 by the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, with a mandate to investigate the violent unrest in the state and the broader South East region.<\/p>\n
Bianca Ojukwu expressed, “We find ourselves living in times marked by alarming anxiety, but we beseech God to heal our land. The Anambra Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission has successfully concluded its second phase of public hearings. Led by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the commission conducted rigorous examinations of 39 witnesses who testified under oath, amassing 243 pieces of evidence during the proceedings.”<\/p>\n
During this phase, the commission engaged with 31 petitioners, including 11 organizations, 19 communities, and one individual, across a marathon of hearings from October 26 to November 3, 2023.<\/p>\n
Ojukwu stated, “According to the testimonies, 322 individuals have been verified as deceased as a result of violence, with many still unaccounted for, and their fate uncertain. Notably, 18 individuals have been specifically identified as missing or unaccounted for. During the proceedings, the shocking revelation of a mass grave site was brought to the commission’s attention through witness testimonies.”<\/p>\n
The commission’s chairman, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has ordered the secure sealing of the suspected mass grave site for forensic examination by pathologists. This will be instrumental in unraveling the identities of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.<\/p>\n
The Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission previously conducted its first phase of public hearings between June and July, considering 24 petitions and engaging with 48 witnesses who testified under oath, representing 14 communities in the state over a 10-day period.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Ojukwu pointed out, “In accordance with the commission’s recommendations, a Bureau of Missing Persons has been established in the state to document information related to missing individuals and the circumstances of their disappearance.”<\/p>\n
Christian Aburime, the Press Secretary to the Governor, acknowledged the findings but noted that a formal report has not yet been presented to the state government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bianca Ojukwu has disclosed a significant revelation made by the Anambra Truth, Justice, and Peace Commission in a statement posted on her Facebook page titled, “A Mass Grave Site Unearthed in Anambra and Secured for Forensic Examination.” The former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain did not specify the exact location of the mass grave but explained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[309,311,308,310],"class_list":["post-4793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-anambra-state","tag-anambra-truth-commission","tag-bianka-ojukwu","tag-mass-grave"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4793"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4889,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793\/revisions\/4889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}