In the last couple of weeks, life has once again become hell for residents of the South-East region following upsurge of attacks, killings...
In the last couple of weeks, life has once again become hell
for residents of the South-East region following upsurge of attacks, killings
and kidnappings by gunmen.
The resurgence was after a recede in November and December
last year, which raised hope of the people of the region that the evil
activities of unknown gunmen had stopped. They had a peaceful Christmas
celebration.
But their hope was dashed recently, when the dreaded gunmen
returned with fiercer attacks and killings. No part of the region is free of
the attacks. But Ihiala axis in Anambra State, which shares border with Orlu
area in Imo State, can unarguably be said to be the theatre of the present
crisis. Aguata, Orumba North and Orumba South Council areas, unfortunately,
have in the last few days, also come under serious attack by these hoodlums. In
the last few weeks, there had been increased attacks and killings in the
Aguata/Orumba areas, including the killing of 88-year-old retired professor.
In Enugu and other states in the region, attacks have also
been on the rise. Just last week, about five persons were killed while
participating in Enugu State Local Government election, an action that prompted
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to summon a meeting of stakeholders in the area where
the killing happened.
And perhaps, acting on security intelligence, banned the
operations of tricycles, okada and tipper lorries in parts of the council.
Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states are also experiencing constant attacks and
killings. Simply put, no state in the region is presently safe and the
residents now live in constant fear.
Many clashes had been recorded between the gunmen and
security operatives who claimed the gunmen were members of the IPOB and their
security wing, ESN operatives. IPOB has, however, been denying any involvement
in the killings in the region, and in turn, accusing security operatives of
launching attacks to suppress their agitation for Biafra. They also accused
security agencies of importing mercenaries to Igbo land to maim, kill and kidnap
people to justify labelling them as terrorists. While the blame game goes on,
the recent attacks had left many casualties on both sides, including a lot of
civilians, who were killed or kidnapped by the gunmen or cut down by bullets
from security operatives in the process of crossfire.
In the face of the frustrating situation, the big question
remains: What is the way out? Have governments, both federal and state, done
enough to contain this or have they given up? With huge potentials available to
the government, why is it difficult to contain and clear this ugly situation
once and for all?
The frightening and scary experience below, shared in the
social media by a man who braved the ‘lion’s den’ to save his brother from the
hand of hoodlums who claimed to be IPOB members, narrates clearly the grave
situation of things in the South-East region. Particularly and of great concern
presently is the Lilu-Orsumoghu-Azia axis of Ihiala Council Area of Anambra
State which has become very dangerous of recent, up to Orlu axis in Imo State.
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