Even though Anambra state is not safe now because of general insecurity of lives and property, years, if not decades, have recorded a lot of kidnappings and road-robberies in Nkwelle-Ezunaka as a town. The question now goes as follows: Is Nkwelle Ezunaka in Anambra State an area and town to be avoided by people, feared or dreaded given the strings of kidnappings, robberies and ritual killings that have been recorded in that part of Anambra State? This villainous development almost equals or even surpasses what has been going on around Ihiala, Okija, Azia, Orsumoghu towns and environs in recent times.
This is a question that the entire community, starting from the Igwe in Council, the town’s President General (PG) to the last person in the town should be able or endeavor to answer. Indeed, the entire natives and indigenes of this otherwise good and blessed town should figure out how best to answer the preceding question and address the problem without delay to abate and douse people’s fears and worries. They must, therefore, do something to clean up their ill-attained notoriety as potential harbingers of kidnappings and killings in that part of the state.
Certainly, a lot must be done to launder the image of the town against people’s impression that it is the den of kidnappers and marauding armed robbers and car snatchers, making it almost impossible for anyone to safely ply their roads or even walk major streets. Everything must be done by the town to show that Nkwelle Ezunaka is not only a good town but also welcoming to visitors and outsiders who intend to live, invest, promote or help the indigenes further its development as an emerging and promising city in Anambra state.
Well-meaning citizens and visitors have been leaving Nkwelle – Ezunaka and other areas of Anambra state in droves to neighboring states now and over the past few months. They do so under yet-to-be-cleared impression and allegation that some indigenes who sell their lands to unsuspecting investors go back to connive with indigenous criminals or secretly collude with kidnappers to molest, kidnap and perhaps get their money back.
It is difficult to know whether this impression, allegation or claim is true or false if kidnappings, killings and robberies continue unchecked by the entire town, and particularly by the Vigilantes. One wonders if the vigilantes have any good news or message to share with the public to regain public trust in them — if there is still any trust. Some believe that this heinous crimes and nefarious practices have also been extended to others who ply some key Nkwelle-Ezunaka roads in good faith either for business, personal or professional function or pleasure.
Now, it is almost impossible to travel from Onitsha to Awka through Nkwelle-Ezunaka without running into one or two groups of kidnappers or people snatchers in vehicles looking for their preys and victims. Because of the serious of the serious nature of kidnappings going on in this part of the state, it is high time the federal and state governments urgently intervene with the presence of the military and mobile or secret police who may do their job in civilian uniforms to save lives and property not only at Nkwelle Ezunaka but also in the entire state at large.
