Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State (2nd right)
Speaking in a telephone interview with Vanguard Newspaper
on Thursday, the Onowu (traditional Prime Minister) of Abagana in
Anambra State, High Chief Alfred Onugha, confirmed that four prominent
traditional leaders of the community are currently missing.
The prime minister said further that those allegedly missing after
the police invasion of Abagana community following the land dispute
between the people and Ukpo community includes; High Chiefs Amobi
Ezekwe, Eugene Anene, Stephen Ezediegwu and Charles Nwazojie.
This was even as police sources said in Awka that the traditional
chiefs who were arrested on August 19 in their residences over alleged
conduct likely to cause a breach of peace were helping detectives in
their investigations over the issue.
The Abagana Welfare Association (AWA) in Anambra State have asked
the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, to compel the state
Police Commissioner, Samuel Okaula, to immediately release all persons
arrested in the wake of the latest round of clashes between the two
communities or, in the alternative, charge them to court, adding that
some of those arrested in the land dispute were paraded as terrorists
while the whereabouts of others including the high chiefs were unknown.
In a petition signed by Counsel to the community’s umbrella union
of all the cultural associations, Emma Ifeadike, to the IGP, AWA also,
accused the state police command of allegedly taking sides in the said
land dispute, pointing out that the activities of the command had
increased threats to the peace, law and order in the area.
AWA noted that the Police Commissioner and his subordinates,
especially the Area Commander (Awka) ACP Longe, and the Divisional
Police Officers, DPOs, in charge of Dunukofia and Njikoka Local
Government Areas, laid siege on the Abagana community as they had become
pawns on the chessboard of a billionaire and business mogul native of
Ukpo community (name withheld).
The community stressed that the land feud between the two
communities was before the Court of Appeal in Enugu (in case numbers
CA/E/86/2002 and motion CA/110M/2015), adding that despite the pendency
of the case, hundreds of thugs were mobilized into the disputed land
last June to bulldoze several properties, farmlands and economic trees
belonging to members of Abagana community.
According to them, the Ukpo Community had since built a police post on the disputed land, “with illegal police protection…, apparently to frustrate the upcoming appeal court case.”
According to them, “Since August 20, 2016 when the youth of
both communities engaged in renewed confrontation, scores of leaders of
Abagana community have been arrested in midnight swoops by policemen,
with most of them still languishing in detention.
“The mass arrest is believed to be targeted at people close to
Chief Emmanuel Nwude, (Owelle Abagana) who is suspected to be financing
the court case against Ukpo.
“Curiously, barely 24 after the arrest, Commissioner of Police,
COMPOL Samuel Okaula addressed a world press conference where he
paraded 10 workers of EM Guest Inn, Abagana, owned by High Chief Emma
Nwude, and branded them as terrorists.”
No comments:
Post a Comment