The Mazi Organisation (TMO), a pressure group in Imo State, has challenged Governor Hope Uzodimma to either urgently protect residents from escalating insecurity or step down.

 

The group’s warning follows the abduction of former Okigwe Local Government chairman, Ngozi Ogbu, whose kidnappers recently released a video showing him in captivity. TMO recalled earlier incidents, including the unresolved kidnapping of Kenneth Nwachukwu, the Okigwe Zonal Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other unreported abductions in the area.

 

In a statement on Sunday, TMO spokesperson, Cajetan Duke, described the situation as “a disgrace and the height of wilful assault on the collective psyche and safety of every Imo citizen.” He said the wave of kidnappings signals “the utter collapse of governance” in Okigwe and beyond, with bandits operating “unchecked by any meaningful state intervention.”

 

TMO accused the Uzodimma administration of failing in its core duty to safeguard lives and property, saying its claims of improved security had been “exposed as a blatant falsehood.” The group demanded the immediate and safe release of Ogbu and called for robust intelligence operations, stronger security deployments, and closer collaboration with local communities to dismantle criminal networks.

 

According to TMO, Imo people “deserve a government that prioritises their safety and well-being,” not one “that hides behind excuses while lives are being lost.”

 

The organisation urged the governor to urgently implement comprehensive reforms, including investments in rural infrastructure, job creation for youths, effective local government administration, community policing, and empowerment of local security outfits.

 

TMO concluded by insisting that Uzodimma must “live up to his oath of office and protect Imo citizens or quit,” warning that “empty promises will no longer suffice in the face of such brazen criminality.”