•It calls for deep worry, destroying human life is alien to Igbo society—Ohanaeze Ndigbo

•Killers of the monarchs want to destroy Igbo society-Prof. Opata

•Attack on monarchs, a sacrilege, it must not be tolerated- Obasi

•Police must tender apology to Njaba people—HRJA

•We are living in a time of suffocating anxiety—Bishop Okoye

By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Chidi Nkwopara, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie & Ikechukwu Odu

Last week, gunmen invaded Nnenasa, the headquarters of Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, venue of a meeting of monarchs from the council. They killed two of them and left three others with gunshot wounds.

The royal fathers were holding the meeting with the leadership of Njaba Council. The ugly incident, no doubt, is a dangerous dimension to the insecurity bedeviling the South-East region and it calls for serious concern.

If revered royal fathers could be attacked and killed while having a meeting for the progress of their communities, then Igbo land is in big trouble; it portends serious danger to Igbo land and must not be allowed to fester.

With the dimension the attacks and killings in Igbo land are taking, there is now a general belief that fifth columnists are actually at work to destroy the South-East region.

And from the account of the Njaba incident as given by the Chairman of the local government area, Mr. Emeka Iheanacho, the police definitely have some explanations to give on the Njaba attack.

Ihenacho said the police he invited to provide security for them suddenly withdrew, claiming they were recalled to Owerri by their commander.

Their absence gave the gunmen opportunity to attack. The action of the police must be investigated as there appears to be more to their sudden withdrawal from their duty post.

Governor Hope Uzodinma must, therefore, task the Federal Government to demand from the Imo State Police Command, what they know of the Njaba attack.

Perhaps, the action of the police, who suddenly withdrew from duty before the attack, when fully investigated, would provide guide to unraveling those behind the so-called unknown gunmen terrorizing and causing havoc in the entire South-East zone.

In the accounts of the council chairman, Emeka Iheanacho: “The Interim Management Committee Chairman of Njaba Local Government Area scheduled three major programmes for October 19, 2021, at the council headquarters, Nnenasa. The programmes are: Distribution of 20, 000 exercise books to heads of primary and secondary schools in Njaba LGA. Njaba LGA Stakeholders’ meeting for submission of community project needs for Imo State 2022 budget.

My monthly meeting with Njaba LGA Council of Traditional Rulers.
“In order to ensure security of lives and property during the meeting, I called one ASP Nwankwo, who leads the Njaba LGA Police Operation Search and Flush Team on October 18, 2021, and requested the presence of his team at the Council Headquarters the next day, for the above programmes. He agreed to come with his team.

“The police also came to the Council Headquarters on October 19, 2021, with his team as agreed. But shortly before the commencement of the programmes, the leader of the police team, ASP Nwankwo came to my office and informed me that their Commander instructed them to return to Owerri.

“I refused to allow them to go in order to avoid jeopardizing the security of lives and property in the environment, but they insisted on going. They finally left and told me that they would be back before the next two hours. The HOD , Works, of the council, Mr. Emeka Uneanya, and a vigilante security officer of the council, Mr. Ernest Okorochukwu, were witnesses to the argument between me and the police team leader in my office.

“Our meetings and programmes however commenced as we hoped on the return of the police team as they promised. But three hours after the commencement of the meeting, we did not see them. I then called the team leader to know why they have not come back, but he told me that their commander had not yet released them.

“Our usual monthly meeting with the traditional rulers, which happened to be the last programme for the day, was about to be concluded when we saw some armed men approaching the council hall where the meeting was taking place. The unknown gunmen on reaching the door to the hall, opened fire and shot at some of us, as we were scampering for safety.

“Unfortunately, we lost two traditional rulers, Eze Anayo Durueburuo of Okwudor Autonomous Community and Eze Samson Osunwa of Ihebinowere Autonomous Community who died on the spot. Three traditional rulers also sustained gunshot injuries.

“They are A. N. Onyeka of Nkume Autonomous Community, P. C Ukonu of Ugbele Aka Autonomous Community and Eze Uche Nwaka of Umunnam Autonomous Community.”
Iheanacho thereafter urged Governor Hope Uzodinma to direct “the DSS Operation Search and Flush Team, and NSCDC Operation Search and Flush Team posted to Njaba LGA, to report and commence work in the council with immediate effect, to beef up security in the area.”

Mourning the slain monarchs and sympathizing with the injured ones, Ohanaeze Ndigbo condemned the attack on the traditional rulers and described the ugly incident, saying it “calls for deep worry” as destroying of human life was alien to Igbo society.

The spokesman of Ohanaeze, Alex Ogbonnia who lamented the attack, said that “destruction of human life is a dangerous dimension that is very much alien to Igbo society.”

“In the past, any person that spills human blood is forced to exile as unworthy of humanity. Apart from the ostracism, several traditional functions are performed in order to cleanse, recover and reinstate the culprit to his community after a stipulated period in exile. On the other hand, the traditional vengeance that goes with killing a human being is so unfathomable that a rational Igbo cannot contemplate such an evil.

“The book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, throws more light on the Igbo cosmology with respect to spilling of human blood. That informs the preponderance of opinion that fifth columnists are at work in Igbo land; especially coming so close to the high profile killings in other states of the South-East.

“On the other hand, I doubt if a true Igbo can purposely kill a traditional ruler. Be that as it may, Ohanaeze Ndigbo led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor condemns such dastardly acts in strongest terms. We urge the government of Imo State to do everything possible to bring the cowardly assassins to book. This will surely serve as deterrent to others.

“Ohanaeze uses this opportunity to once again call on the South-East governors to hasten their efforts in the inauguration of the Central Command of the Ebubeagu Security Outfit. With Ebubeagu, the role of the traditional institution and town union as the fourth tier of government, will be more manifest. The collaboration of state governments, local governments, traditional rulers, town unions and the Ebubeagu Security operatives will help to reduce all these strange crimes to the barest minimum. Security the world over, is a collective responsibility.

“It is regrettable that the South-East of Nigeria which before April 4, 2021 was a reference point as the safest zone in the country, has dramatically yielded to the unknown dark forces. Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide pleads with everybody to join hands in lifting the South-East from the Frankenstein abyss we have found ourselves in.”

Chief Augustine Okwudili, Secretary Human Rights and Justice Advocates, HRJA, said the Police should just apologise to the people especially Njaba people for failing to discharge their responsibility and stop the weak defense they are making about Njaba killing.

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According to him, the attack was perfectly planned and its execution was professionally done and it shows that trained securitymen carried out the attack. He dismissed all these talks about unknown gunmen and IPOB being behind it, saying that it is ruse. He called for a thorough investigation to get to the root of the matter.

“I have read the report of the Police where they alleged that they were not notified about the meeting. Shortly after that, I also read the reply of the Chairman of Njaba, Local Government Area, Hon. Emeka Iheanacho, where he countered the report of the Police by revealing that the Police were adequately notified. The defense of the Imo State Police Command is very weak,” he said.

According to him, the Operation Search and Flush of the Police posted at Njaba L.G.A came to the venue that day on his invitation but suddenly left the venue of the meeting less than an hour before the gunmen struck and killed the victims.

“I, like many other people took the report of the Police with a pinch of salt. I never believed their trash of a defense and I got infuriated and provoked after reading their latest report about the incident.

“In the report of the Imo State Police Command, in a release signed by CSP Micheal Abattam, the PPRO of the Imo State Police Command, they attempted to present what many considered as very weak defense and a shameless face-saving tactics to exonerate themselves from their suspicious action.

“The Police accused the council Chairman of not informing them through writing; at the same time, they agreed that the council Chairman is the Chief security officer of the LGA and that is where many got pissed off with their report.

“In the first place, the Police have not defended the reason why their personnel who came to protect the people had to suddenly pull out from the venue on the alleged order from their superior. The question many are asking is why did the order for the withdrawal of the team made and for what purpose? Who invited those police that came and through which mode of notification? Why did they come if they were not notified? Who ordered them to leave less than an hour before the attack?

“Police telling the council Chairman to write before releasing men to him is like the state Commissioner of Police telling the Governor of the state to officially write to him anytime he wants to have a meeting or the President informing the Inspector-General of Police through writing to provide security for him and members of his cabinet.

“Saying that they withdrew their men who reported to the venue of the meeting simply because they were not informed through writing is unacceptable. We see the whole situation as the evil bird that cried in the morning and the child died at night; so the Police should be asked, what or who killed the child. The Police should answer this question.

“The Police should stop insulting the sensibilities of the people, they should just apologise to the people, especially Njaba people for failing to carry out their responsibility and stop the weak defense,” Okwudili said.

The Bishop of Ihiala Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev Israel Okoye, a Professor of Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka attributed what is happening in the country to ungodliness and poor leadership. “We are living in a time of suffocating anxiety and increased threats to life, dehumanization and murderous conflicts. Nigeria is agonizingly enmeshed in insecurity. It is the primary responsibility of every government to ensure that security of life, job, property, etc is guaranteed in its area of governance.

“In fact, the present state of affairs in many states in Nigeria is worse than the Nigeria civil war encounter. We are told that we are not in a state of war, but in many of our cities and rural areas, armed soldiers are positioned day and night, searching travellers and homes and sometimes engaging some groups in battle, often with innocent civilians as casualties.

The positioning of armed soldiers in civilian communities is a clear indication of a state of insecurity. In our communities, people of all classes suffocate in crippling fear,” Okoye said.

In his contribution, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nsukka Local Government Area chapter, Prof. Damian Opata, said that those gunmen who killed traditional rulers at Njaba, Imo State want to destroy Igbo society.

Prof. Opata who described the development as unsettling, added that the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, created the background for the challenging security situation in the South-East through their mode of operation.

“Killing of traditional rulers in Igboland by unknown gunmen is terrible and very unsettling. Attacking sacred institutions that guard society is very bad and condemnable.

Those who are behind the dastardly act should stop it because it would not pay them anything to waste human lives. Whichever group that carried out the attack is trying to destroy Igbo society.

“The vision and strategy of IPOB which uses language that borders on terror and terrorism, created the background for the insecurity we are facing in the South-East. Some of the mayhem were committed in their name but they created the environment for it. For instance, asking people to sit-at-home for five days won’t help anybody. It would only cripple the economy of the South-East.

“It is wrong to stop people from free movement and association. There are people who depend on daily commercial activities and other handworks for their survival. It is a negative type of action and anybody who is advising the group to continue with the strategy should have a rethink because you cannot intimidate Nigerian state by sitting at home. No foreign country will come to your aid because you are sitting at home,” Prof. Opata said. Contributing, Chief Jerry Obasi described the attack on traditional rulers at their meeting as the height of sacrilege which must not be tolerated in the South-East zone. He wondered how somebody could pull a gun and shoot at traditional rulers, saying that the attack depicts the level the lack of value for human life has degenerated.

He urged the Imo state government to investigate the increasing violence in the state and found out the culprit behind the acts.

“It is unfortunate that the South East has been under siege by unknown gunmen. This situation has left the South East in a situation of fear; everybody now lives in fear. Now, the situation has degenerated to the extent of attacking and killing traditional rulers. This is the height of sacrilege. It calls for urgent attention from the government of Imo state to thoroughly investigate and apprehend those behind these killings. It is quite sad that the custodian of our customs and traditions can no longer meet in safety. It means that we have lost everything to these yet to be identified marauders.

“I doubt if there is any sane Igbo man who can pull a gun on traditional rulers in a meeting. What provocation could make someone attack and kill traditional rulers? Governor Hope Uzodinma and other stakeholders really need to work with the security agencies to stop this descent to anarchy before criminals take over the state”, Obasi lamented.

Popular Nollywood Actor, James Ikechukwu Esomugha, (Jim Iyke), in his reaction, called on the Igbo to unite and stop the killing of one another to save the Igbo land from collapsing.

He argued that the Igbo people were the most disenfranchised in the country and for that reason should come together and move forward instead of the bloodshed.

He blamed the underdevelopment of the region on the elected political leaders who he said should have used the opportunity to address the issue of bad governance in the land. He frowned at the level destruction in Igboland and called for unity and peace among the people of the region. Esomugha warned that a house that fight itself would collapse and cannot achieve anything.

“In this country, we have had the worst governors in recent times. For us in the Southeast let us take care of ourselves. We are the most disenfranchised entity in this Nigeria. Let our leadership understand this and do the right thing to move forward.

“Nobody condones bad things. Discussion is still the way forward. We can amplify our voices in so many ways instead of killing ourselves. Don’t forget this destruction is not outside of Igbo land, it is inside our land. We are killing ourselves by ourselves. A house fighting itself in the same house will only collapse”, the actor said.