Over 35 houses, market razed as gunmen attack Enugu community 

There was commotion as one native was said to have been badly injured while more than 35 houses and a market were razed as gunmen said to be cultists attacked Oruku community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Daily Trust gathered that the incident happened between 6:30pm Saturday and 7:30am Sunday.

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When the State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, alongside newsmen visited the troubled community, some houses were still burning.

Very few natives were seen within the community as the indigenes  fled for fear of being killed by the gunmen said to be holding AK-47 rifles and GPMG.

The palace of the traditional ruler of Aguikpa autonomous community and brother of late traditional ruler of Oruku autonomous community, Igwe Emmanuel Mbah, who was said to have been shot dead by police men from  Abuja on December 26, 2020.

A former Chairman of Nkanu East Local Government, Mr.  Ejike Ani, who conducted the Commissioner round the torched houses, said he got the information that some group of people were going to attack the community and reported it to their Council chairman.

Ani said the Chairman, Mr. Uchenna Nwobodo, assured him that he had informed the police but unfortunately, the community was attacked and over 35 houses and market were burnt.

He said: “I saw a post on the social media on the indigenous people of Oruku Facebook account that some natives have hired some people from Benue state and that Oruku community will be attacked in less than one week and less than one week we were attacked.

” I called the council chairman, Uchenna Nwobodo and told him that this is what is happening.

“He said he has called the Divisional Police Officer of Amechi Idodo and you can see the end result.”

Ani, who gave insight into genesis of the violence said:  “We got a secular from the commissioner of police that all illegal arms should be handed over to traditional ruler for onward handover to the police division nearest. We held a meeting and in the meeting we agreed that we are handing over our arms.

“The 20 AK-47 rifles and two GPMG guns we had along the line because of what has been going on with STS and our community, two AK-47 were returned and handed over to the State Director, DSS in 2020.

“So, some community members are still having 18 AK-47 and they are using those guns now to hunt the people that went for the peace process, the people that signed the agreement with Umuode community and people that told the government that this is the arms we have and we are ready to hand them  over to government.”

However, the chairman of Oruku Neighbourhood Watch, Mr Emmanuel Ani, appealed to both federal and state government for urgent intervention to rescue the community from those who have refused to give a peace a chance.

He attributed the crisis in the community to the alleged connivance of the Commander of  Inspector General of Police Special Tactical Squad, whom he said disarmed the neighborhood watch and released hoodlums they arrested and handed over to the police in the state, to continue to terrorise them.

According to him, “We couldn’t stop the carnage because we were disarmed by IG STS. They collected four plump actions given to us by the state government. So, it made us very handicapped in fighting the crimes in the community and that was why cultists are committing a lot of crimes here.

“As you can see more than 35 houses and 20 shops have been razed  by these cultists and their sponsors. This is only done last night. So the community is just helpless. We are just praying that God in his mercy will rescue this community.”

He bemoaned the burning of  his cousin’s house where he is living and his uncle’s house.

A  widow in the troubled community, who is still mourning the death of her husband said to have been  buried on Thursday, Mrs Nwatu, told the commissioner that the arsonists came to her house at about 6:30 pm, asked her to come out or they would burn her with the house.

She said: “Immediately I came out they burnt the house. Not even appeals that I am mourning my husband could change their mind. They wanted to burn me inside the house. They burnt everything including our clothes.”

Daily Trust recalls that the incident occurred less than a month the traditional ruler was said to have been shot dead by operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactical Squad (SWAT), on December 26, 2020 during annual general meeting at the community’s Town Hall.

The murder of the Igwe reportedly triggered anger that caused the burning of houses and other valuable property of those suspected to be behind the killing of the native ruler.

However, the Police Commissioner, Mr Aliyu, who later briefed newsmen  described the incident as unfortunate and appealed to the members of the community for calm, noting that they should  allow police to investigate the cause of the violence.

Aliyu said:  “It is unfortunate incident because from the information it has been an existing issue on the ground and I took over precisely three days ago.

“When I tried to find out when I heard the information my lieutenant told me they were not aware of the incident.

“Unfortunately, before we got here because of the distance the hoodlums had gone.”

On some police officers and some powerful individuals who were accused of sponsoring the crisis, Aliyu said he would talk to the authority since those accused were at the Force Headquarters.

He further said: “I am going to speak to the higher authority on more detail so that at the end of the day maybe more directives will be given.”

He however enjoined communities in the state to always provide useful information to the police and on time too, to avert situations that would lead to such wanton destruction of lives and property in their domain.