.Council boss: “this is the coming of lawlessness, anarchy”
.Government initiates massive cover-up
The simmering crises between the Imo State government and the council
chairmen of PDP extraction may have spiraled out of control as armed
thugs deployed to forcefully oust the elected council chairmen and councilors were Thursday rounded up and arrested by soldiers of the 34
Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Imo State.
The thugs who, the Imo ALGON had accused of having been trained by the
Imo State Government, had on Monday invaded Owerri North and abducted
the council chairman, Mr. Eric Ogwoh and his Orlu counterpart and also
took away the Owerri Municipal Council Secretary.
The thugs who Thursday stormed Owerri Municipal Council in commando
style to sack councilors and the chairman ran out of luck as a
military patrol team intervened.
The thugs who arrived the council in two Hilux trucks, armed with
pump-action rifles took over the council premises shooting
indiscriminately into the air.
Fortunately, the council chairman, Chief Emma Odor was not in office,
but his Personal Assistant was not so lucky as the thugs pounced on
him and thoroughly brutalized him.
As council workers scampered to safety following the sporadic
shootings, the thoroughly battered assistant, simply identified as
‘China’ was dragged to one of the waiting Hilux trucks and dumped
there just before the soldiers stormed the council and saved the day.
Before the soldiers rounded up the armed thugs, some of the hoodlums
successfully fled the council while 12 others were arrested and
handcuffed by the soldiers with their vehicles impounded.
Two of the vehicles impounded with inscription, “Imo Security Network
Unit 2 (001) and “Imo Security Network Unit 4 (001)”, are without
number plates.
The arrested thugs, some of whom were dressed in Police bullet proof
vest, were thereafter taken to the Imo state Police Headquarters where
they are being detained.
While council workers that witnessed the ugly scene expressed shock at
the level of armed brigandage unleashed on the councils, the Owerri
Municipal Council Chairman, Chief Emma Odor expressed dismay at the
level of desperation by those who want elected council executives out
of the way.
Said he, “This is unfortunate and if this trend remains unchecked,
then this is the coming of lawlessness and anarchy in Imo. If they
could go to this extent to antagonize a legitimate council executive,
one can only imagine what they would do with the state police.”
Meanwhile, vital intelligence, suggests that the Imo state government
have concluded plans to spring the hoodlums from detention, at any
cost, to forestall any possibility of prosecution and government
complicity in the matter. The cover-up effort believed to be
spear-headed by the Chief of Staff, Prince Eze Madumere with the
assistance of some top security chiefs.
