No fewer than three people were reportedly feared dead and dozens of youths and women were severely wounded as Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State narrowly escaped death when some aggrieved youths of Mgbala Agwa community in Oguta Local Government Area of the state, with police and other security agents having to shoot repeatedly into the air to disperse the angry mob.
The incident happened just less than one month after the governor was attacked by irate youths in Ohaji Egbema council area of the state, when he visited the area for his re-election campaign.
247ureports.com learnt that, the incident, which happened last weekend, saw the dissatisfied youths breaking wind screens of the governor’s personal vehicle and windows of about three other vehicles while seriously denting some others.It was gathered that the youths hurled stones and used sticks on the convoy, accusing the state government of failing to provide any government presence in the area as well as failing to address the question of their traditional stool which had long been in contention.
So, when the governor went to the area to campaign and on his arrival, the youths started shouting at him, saying “ka o puo, ka o puo(let him go, Rochas must go)”.
The main trouble started few minutes after the governor’s departure, when dozens of youths were regrouped by one of his aides and they descended heavily on the youths who had attacked the governor.
This led a serious fight between the two groups freely used axes, machetes, clubs on each other. In the ensuing melee, three youths were reportedly felled while dozens others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
According to a village source, “the boy that died in the fight are about three because when we were running, I saw two people lying motionless on the ground. I also noticed the other boy they were trying to carry, but they said they left him there because he was no longer shaking and blood has finished running from his neck.”
It was learnt that many of the youths from both the PDP and APC camps sustained machete cut injuries all over their bodies.
The state police spokesman, Andrew Enwerem, could not respond to enquiries from our reporter, but a senior police officer told our reporter that they do not have any business with governor’s convoy and as a result, whatever happens to him has to be reported.
