Anambra: Navy uses masked pointers to arrest, label us IPOB, ESN members – community cries out

By Julie Sylvia, Oniitsha

The people of Ogwuaniocha community, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State, Thursday accused the Nigerian Navy in Onitsha, Anambra State, of using masked pointers to arrest and label them members of Indigenous People of Biafran, IPOB, Eastern Security Network, ESN.

Making the accusation, the spokesman of the community, Chief Christopher Nduba Obumsele, lamented that the latest of the arrest through use of pointers was the arrest of a lecturer at Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Mr. Jude, and three others.

According to him the Navy is working with a rival group in the community to suppress them over Igweship crisis that has torn the community into pieces.

“We are the Odua-in-Council, people of Ogwuaniocha. Our problem is that the Nigerian Navy here in Odekpe/Oniitsha, are working with our opposition group. The opposition act as pointers to the Navy, and the Navy will arrest, label us ESN members and detain us.

“We no longer go to or from Onitsha presently because the opposition is at the military check-points as pointers and whenever our people want to pass through the check-points, the opposition (pointers) that are masked, will point at us and the Naval officers on duty will arrest us.

“Just recently, a US Embassy convoy was attacked at Amiyi, that is not in our community, very far place, but the opposition told the military that we are the ESN members that attacked the team and a joint security taskforce stormed our community, killed one person that was not a member of ESN, set four shops ablaze and a house.

“In our community because of Igweship crisis that has been lingering for years, there are two warring factions, the Odua-in-Council, that is the entire people in the community, led by the oldest man, and the Oliver-led group. We plead to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to come to our rescue by prevailing on the Navy to stop the constant arrest of our people and to release the lecturer who is not a member of ESN.

“The lecturer was returning from a peace meeting in the community when he was arrested by the Navy through a masked pointer and has been in detention for about two weeks now,” he stated

In his own contribution, a member of the Odua-in-Council, Chief Paul Ijeoma, said that what the opposition wanted was to sack them from the community and take over the entire place.

“They petitioned to government that our community is the base of ESN and that it was from our community that those unknown gunmen came from and attacked and killed the US Embassy convoy, which is false but they said it for us to be killed and then they will take over our community.

“Navy should stop arresting us with the help of pointers who they work with. Navy should stop involving itself in community matters, we are not ESN members as they tag us to intimidate and assault us,” he stated

Also, a community chieftain, Chief John Adigwe, said that apart from the lecturer, three others who were arrested by the military masked pointers included, Mr. Ozogo, his brother and Chief Odua.

“They were returning from a peace meeting when they were arrested through the use of pointers and labeled ESM members. These people arrested have no business with ESN and our community is not a base for ESN as they claimed in their petition to government.

“Our case is Igweship crisis of which the matter is in court. Governor Soludo please prevail on the Navy to stop arresting and tagging us ESN in favour of our opposition group. What have we done to the Navy that they should be biased in carrying out their national assignment.

“We plead for the immediate release of our son, the lecturer at Nsugbe College of Education and others that were tagged ESN and detained. We are law abiding citizens and have been in peace until the Igweship crisis came up. Some who thrive in crisis now use it to cause crisis in the community and label us ESN members,” he cried