Solution, Unleash Terror On Anambra
An eyewitness account recalled that the victim was riding on his motorcycle when he was intercepted along the road around 6.00pm by ‘ unknown gunmen’ and killed. He said the shooting forced road users and residents to scamper for safety.
The following day ( Monday), gunmen engaged security operatives in a gun battle and reportedly killed two soldiers while many others sustained injuries.
The same day, the marauders moved to the premises of Idemili North local council secretariat, which houses a Magistrate Court, a Police Post and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company ( EEDC) office. They set ablaze structures within the premises and 32 vehicles.
It was revealed that the arsonists gained entry into the premises in the night to carry out the arson.
The State Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO), DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the gun battle between security operatives and gunmen but said he was not aware of the killing of military men.
He said the Command was aware of the attack by gunmen on security operatives, who, he noted, engaged them in a gun duel and chased them away.
Tochukwu had blamed arsonists for setting Idemili North local council secretariat on fire, saying: “Yes, the incident was confirmed, and our men were there to restore normalcy. Right now, the fire has been put off, and calm has been restored to the area.”
Also commenting on the attack on EEDC’S office, the Head of Communications of the company, Emeka Ezeh, said the inferno occurred about 1.45am, disclosing that it was the handiwork of unidentified criminal elements. He confirmed that about 32 utility and operational vehicles were burnt, including other assets and equipment within the premises.
Ezeh stated that efforts made to reach the Anambra State Fire Service at the time to rescue the situation did not yield any positive result, adding that members of staff who were on ground could do nothing to salvage the situation.
According to him, it took the intervention of the Commissioner for Utilities, Anambra State, Julius Chukwuemeka, to drag the Fire Service team to the scene of the incident about 9.05am.
He regretted that the ugly incident took place at a time the company had invested so much to improve its operations and transform the socio- economic landscape of the area.
Also last Monday, the ‘ unknown gunmen’ kidnapped a member of the State House of Assembly, representing Aguata II State Constituency, Okechukwu Okoye popularly called Okey Di Okay. He was kidnapped alongside his driver. As at the time of filing this report, he was yet to be rescued.
The traditional ruler of Isuofia community, His Highness, Igwe C. A. O. Muoghalu expressed shock over the development. He described the act as “one of the worst crimes unimaginable committed against not only Isuofia community, but also Aguata II State Constituency and the generality of Anambra.”
A statement issued on his behalf by the Secretary of Palace, Chukwujekwu Orajiuka, said there was no excuse for the wicked act, adding that no one should ever go through the traumatic experience of being a victim of violence, be it political or otherwise.
“Nigeria seems to be living through the normalisation of political violence, and abduction has remained a stubbornly grim part of the electioneering life in the rest of Nigeria.
And so, the plot to vanquish the political pursuits of Dr. Okoye is totally condemned,” he noted.
The monarch urged security agencies to spare no efforts in taking significant steps to rescue Okoye. He called for his immediate and unconditional release and safe return “failing which the land of Isuofia shall fight her own cause” till the contrivers are brought to book.
Some residents who reacted to the ugly developments in the state wondered why the ‘ unknown gunmen’ have chosen to sustain the attacks on the state. They stated that Soludo, like any other concerned Igbo, “is interested in the good and development of Igboland and has not done anything to compromise on it.”
“If they say he is not supporting Biafra, they should know that he started from his campaign days to insist that those agitating for Biafra should be listened to. As governor, he has visited Nnamdi Kanu and held fruitful discussions with him. That is why we are worried that these attacks may not be coming from the IPOB. They may not be coming from those agitating for Biafra. They may be targeted at ensuring that they unsettle him as governor and on the long run, create problem for the economy of the state,” a resident, Ibe Ugochukwu said.
President General of the Coalition of Southeast Youth Leaders ( COSEYL), Goodluck Ibem, also admitted that the attacks on Anambra State were no longer funny, stressing that the collective effort of the leaders of the state was required to handle it.
Speaking specifically on the burning of Idemili local council headquarters, he noted that those who caused the mayhem were the enemies of Ndigbo, urging the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.
“While some religious extremists are busy destroying the properties and goods of Igbos in Sokoto and Yobe States in the northern part of the country, another set of criminals is in our doorstep burning down government property in Igboland. This smacks of a conspiracy to scuttle the progress, security and development of Ndigbo.
“But the recent burning and destruction of Idemili North local council secretariat and the Magistrate Court in Ogidi barely 24 hours after the governor visited Mazi Kanu at DSS custody confirms our earlier stance that those behind the attacks, killings and burning of government properties and institutions in Anambra State are elements opposed to the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the progress of Igboland.
“These elements are making huge profits from the incarceration of Kanu and his release will scuttle their illicit business hence the attack on Anambra State government properties just in a bid to discourage the governor of the state from his legitimate pursuit that will bring lasting peace to the Southeast zone,” Ibem added.
The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law ( Intersociety) also condemned the rising attacks on critical public utilities, insisting that time has come for security forces to improve on their intelligence skills to save the country.
The Principal Officers of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagvalasi and Obianuju Igboeli, said the burning of the administrative headquarters of the EEDC in Idemmili North local council was an act of sabotage.
“We renew our call for total overhauling of intelligence and securitisation services in the Southeast which have totally failed and are on a verge of collapse so as to effectively track troubling criminalities in the region and stop the rampancy of civilian deaths and property destruction.
“We also urge all the fighting parties in the Southeast to immunise and spare all critical public utilities from their attacks and grievances for sake of humanity and decent, peaceful, progressive and cohesive living and development,” the duo said.
As it is, what dominates discussions in the state now is how long this carnage would last, as the gunmen seem emboldened by the day to unleash terror on innocent citizens. Thus, nobody is sure what would happen next. How the governor and the security agencies would tame this tide remains to be seen.
If they say he is not supporting Biafra, they should know that he started from his campaign days to insist that those agitating for Biafra should be listened to. As governor, he has visited Nnamdi Kanu and held fruitful discussions with him. That is why we are worried that these attacks may not be coming from the IPOB. They may not be coming from those agitating for Biafra. They may be targeted at ensuring that they unsettle him as governor and on the long run, create problem for the economy of the state