By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was a heart-wrenching loss in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, as a grassroots politician and stalwart of the Young People’s Party (YPP), Chief Joe Mohel, who was shot by thugs died in the hospital bed.
Recall that some yet-to-be-identified thugs, on Saturday night, attacked Chief Mohel shortly after he organized a meeting between his community members and the Member representing Orumba North and South Federal Constituency, Hon. Chinwe Nnabuife.
Hon. Nnabuife had been severally threatened by some thugs who warned her never to step her feet into Nanka community henceforth for any reason whatsoever.
The life threats against Hon. Nnabuife heated up after an Appeal Court recently ordered a re-run election between her and the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Orumba North and South Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election, Hon. Okwudili Ezenwankwo (a native of Nanka), who approached the court to declare him the winner of the election shortly after Nnabuife was declared the winner and sworn into office.
Despite no set date yet for the re-run election, Hon. Nnabuife faced life threats from individuals in Nanka community, who saw her as a rival to their son. They warned her to stay away, even before the re-run election, and barred her from executing any development projects in the community, despite still holding her certificate of return and maintaining her role as the constituency’s representative in the Federal House.
Although warned against entering the community, Hon. Nnabuife, still considering Nanka as part of her constituency, defied the threats and visited the community under tight security, where she interacted with her Nanka constituents. During the interaction, she also revealed to them how certain influential individuals were obstructing her efforts to rehabilitate a crucial road and hindering her developmental initiatives for the community.
The visit, organized by Mr. Mohel, who rallied villagers to receive Hon. Nnabuife, ended peacefully.
However, shortly after the meeting, unidentified thugs attacked Mr. Mohel at the village hall, where he was in discussions with fellow villagers.
According to an eyewitness, the unidentified thugs, arriving in a Lexus 350, fired warning shots into the air before fatally shooting Mr. Mohel at the village hall. They also kidnapped Ichie Patrick Ezeanaka, another influential grassroots politician, from the same location. These incidents sparked widespread condemnation within and beyond the community, as Chief Mohel who was shot in the stomach and buttock, was rushed to a hospital where he was eventually admitted after facing initial rejection by some hospitals where he was first rushed to.
Chief Mohel, in the hospital bed, struggled for his dear life and tried all his best to remain alive, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make it, as the embrace of death claimed him in the quietude of early Sunday morning.
Mohel’s death has not only sent worries down the spines of many who heard it, but has also created a huge vacuum in his family, as his wife and his only child waited endlessly for his return alive, only to see him brought back as corpse.
Many have also wondered what manner of do-or-die politics played by some individuals, who do not mind going any length to achieve their aim, even if it involves shedding blood of their fellow humans
When contacted by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said the Command had not received any information regarding the incident. He, however, urged the affected persons to visit the nearest police station and lodge-in a report about the incident, for further actions.
