Youth Abduction Causes Mayhem In Anambra Community
Men of the Nigerian Police Force
Mayhem reportedly erupted at Nawfia community, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State, the weekend following alleged abduction of a youth in the area simply identified as ‘Afojoru Igbonjo’, by yet-to-be-identified gunmen who whisked him away from a beer parlour to an undisclosed destination.
Following the ugly incident, a local vigilante group said to have been floated and inaugurated same day by a lawyer, as a rival security outfit to the already existing one, Nawfia Patriotic Union (NPU), Vigilante group, that is under the command of the traditional ruler of Nawfia, HRM Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, reportedly went berserk, maiming, destroying and looting the property of perceived enemies resulting in scores of the indigenes going into hiding to evade the attack.
Not fewer than 10 houses of such perceived enemies were reportedly destroyed and looted on the process, prompting desertion of the community as efforts made to the police to come to the rescue of the community proved abortive possibly due to the present EndSARS protest going on nationwide.
A victim, Mr Chibuzor Onwujekwu, told newsmen that, “they came into my
house at Uruoji village at about 7.30pm on Saturday and destroyed all that I have that included, my plasma TV, hangers, my wife’s phones and that of my mother-in-inlaw who came for omugwo (nursing the new born)”
“They also broke my GB safety water tank, smashed the cars, genset and removed #25,000 cash from my house.
They would have killed me if I were in the house when they came as I am
one of those wanted by them to be killed by opposing their encroachment on the community land and also opposing their efforts to dethrone our monarch, HRM Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo.
“The people that did these were those newly inaugurated vigilante group that want to run a rival paralel vigilante outfit when we have
the authentic vigilante group under our monarch. They went and formed
theirs to deter development and use it to dethrone our monarch but we will not allow them, the entire community is behind our monarch”
“What they destroyed in my house worth over #5million and presently my
last child is still in shock over the attack on us and fears and cries whenever she sees strangers. They scaled the fence on arrival and vowed to kill me when caught and that is why I am in the hiding”.
“They touched scores of houses of perceived enemies including mine and as I talk now I am in the hiding because my name is among those listed
to be killed for refusing a lawyer who floated the vigilante group to
intimidate us and encroach on our land and planned to dethrone our monarch, Igwe Nwankwo”
“The mayhem lingered up to Sunday and right now most youths have fled the community for fear of being attacked”
Contacted on the incident, HRM Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo confirmed the
mayhem adding that, “the report reaching me stated that a guy who has
been troubling this community, I don’t know his real name but they call him, ‘Afojoru Igbonjo,’ was picked by unknown persons in a beer parlour and on the same day I got the information that they said government authorized them to dethrone me after their inauguration.
They are looking for a way to dethrone me to enthrone their stooge in Nawfia and take the controversial land. Since they can not get the people in agreement to dethrone me, they resorted to thuggery, using intimidation and extortion.
“I want to use this opportunity to ask the state Government to give its reaction, to say whether they sent some people to Nawfia to dethrone me.
The security outfit proceeded to destroy the property of people they believed were behind the adoption of the youth and I tried to contact the police but due to the situation of police in Nigeria today the police did not want to come,” he said.
