By Vhuks Eke

A telecommunication expert, Chinedu Anaukwu is now lying critically I’ll at Life International Hospital, Awka, Anambra state following a serious degree of injuries he sustained when he was allegedly attacked by the lawmaker representing Anambra East/West federal constituency in the national assembly, Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe and those suspected to be his thugs.

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The victim who is also the Trade Partner manager attached to MTN, was allegedly punched to near death by Obidigwe and his thugs inside the residence of Rev. Fr. John Manafa at Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra state, home town of former Governor Willie Obiano.

Although the actual cause of the brutal attack on Anaukwu was not yet ascertained as at press time but sources hinted that it might not be unconnected with a power tussle behind Obiano’s wife’s ambition to contest the Senatorial seat of Anambra North Senatorial District.

Anaukwu who spoke to newsmen at his hospital bed yesterday, admitted that he  criticized the likes of Obidigwe and other Aguleri indigenes who benefitted a lot from the former Governor Willie administration and turned round to bite the fingers that fed them.

According to Anaukwu, “In my social media critic, I did pointed out that if there is any to fight Obiano or his wife as their fellow kinsmen, definitely not the likes of Obidigwe or some other youths from Aguleri because Obiano picked them from the bin and made them whatever they think they are today”.

“So, as an MTN trade partner, I supplied a certain telecommunication gadget to Chief Primus Odili, former Chief of Staff to Obiano who also was a beneficiary of Obiano administration like Obidigwe and when I took the gadget to him, he requested me to accompany him to a meeting at Rev. Fr. John Manafa”s house at Aguleri which I Obliged him”.

“As soon as Odili and I reached Fr. Manafa’s place, Obidigwe sighted me and turned to tiger by onfronting me with why I chose to criticize him in Aguleri forum and other social media and I replied that it was not fair for him and others who had benefitted immensely from Obiano administration to turn round and castigate Obiano or his wife or even to constitute a clog along the wheels of Obiano’s wife’s Anambra North District Senatorial  ambition under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA”.

“At that point, Obidigwe started pushing and heating me left and right before Odili and Fr. Manafa separated him from me. As I left the compound to go, Obidigwe communicated his thugs waiting outside the gate to deal ruthlessly with me and one of the thugs hit me at the back of my neck and I stumbled and fell down”.

“As I laid flat on the floor, as a result of the club they hit me, the other thugs pounced on me and hit me constantly at my chest and face and as I was wearing eye glasses, they smashed the glasses into my eyes until Fr. Manafa and Odili came out and separated them from me”.

“As soon as I stood up, I entered my car and drove off and on my way, I almost became blind and the pains held me back until I barely managed to find myself here in the hospital, got admitted, called my younger brother to come to the hospital and I went into coma”.

“This incident occurred at Aguleri between 9 and 10 p.m. on Saturday and I reached this hospital in Awka at 11.55 p.m.”

As at the time of filing this report yesterday, Anaukwu stated that he would report the matter to the police as soon as he regained consciousness and then others steps would follow suit as he would not allow what he described as rascality to be swept under the carpet.

Efforts to get in touch with the Odili, Obidigwe and Fr. Manafa proved abortive as they could not take their calls from newsmen. However, Fr. Manafa who later picked his call, said he would not like to comment on the incident.

The Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Southeast Zone, in a telephone chat, condemned the incident and described the action of the thugs and their principal who incidentally is a honourable member of the parliament as barbaric and uncalled.

CLO’s Southeast Regional Chairman, Comrade Emeka Attah, in a statement, said it is worrisome that such an incident is taking place at a time Nigerians are occupied with how to elect a new set of political leaders that could rescue this country from disintegration, economic comatose and political instability.

The Police Command in Imo says it has launched a manhunt for the abductors and killers of the Sole Administrator of Ideato North Local Government Council, Mr Christopher Ohizu.

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The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Owerri.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ohizu’s house, located at Arondizuogu, was attacked and razed by gunmen at about 11: 00 p.m. on Jan. 19.

He was later abducted, along with two other persons, to an unknown place, while the vehicles parked within his premises were burnt.

The police spokesperson said that Ohizu was subsequently killed by the suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Okoye said: “The command is aware of the iniquitous and obscene video that has gone viral on social media where a man, suspected to be the abducted Ideato North LGA sole administrator, was seen kneeling down, with his hands tied, undergoing inhuman act.

“The man was subsequently killed by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).

“The command wishes to inform the good people of the state that we are already on top of the situation, following a high-powered investigation team, inaugurated by the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde.”

Okoye said the team had commenced technical investigation from the day of the abduction.

He also stated that the team had been on the trail of the hoodlums, where tremendous progress was being made before the surfacing of the obscene video.

The police spokesperson noted that the command’s tactical teams were not relenting in their efforts at arresting and unraveling the identity of the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

He assured the people of the state that the command would ensure that the perpetrators were made to face the full wrath of the law.

Okoye called on the good Ideato North community and the general public to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses.

“The police and other security agencies are working assiduously, as adequate security measures have been put in place to forestall future occurrence,” he said.

The police spokesman advised all and sundry to assist the police with credible information and report any clandestine activities or suspicious persons seen in their communities to the nearest police station.

He urged members of the public to call the command’s emergency numbers: 08034773600 or 08098880197 to volunteer useful information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals.

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

Anambra State Government has marked over one hundred shops for demolition in Awka, the capital city of the state.

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The shops, located along the Oby Okoli Avenue, which stretches from UNIZIK Temp. Site to across Okpuno, were marked alongside other structures, which include residential apartments, offices, billboards, fences, among others.

Cynosural among the structures marked for demolition were the fence of the Traditional Ruler of Okpuno, Igwe Sunday Okafor; the fence of the Living Faith Church Headquarters (Winners Church); the perimeter fence of the residential building of Oby Okoli Avenue, Ebony Supermarket, perimeter fence of the newly-constructed Waldorf Hotels, billboard and perimeter fence of the Admore Hotels, Sterling Bank ATM,   among others.

The structures were marked by the officials of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), who also gave the owners seven (7) days to remove them or have them demolished by the Authority. The seven-day ultimatum will elapse Tuesday (tomorrow), while the officials of ACTDA is expected to also start the demolition exercise proper that day.

When this reporter visited the area, it was observed that some owners of the marked shops have already evacuated their goods and other belongings therein, while many others were seen, still dismantling and evacuating their belongings.

Some of them who spoke to this reporter described the demolition notice as unwarranted, too sudden, unexpected and destabilizing, given the current economic realities in the country. Many of them said they just recently renewed or paid their rents and expressed worry that such ‘unfortunate‘ situation is befalling them in such an early period of the year.

Mr. Nelson Ngoka, whose boutique was marked for partial demolition said he started wondering what could be the reason for the demolition the day the ACTDA officials were marking his shop, only to hear later that it was because of a road construction ongoing in the area.

He, however, said, his shop and some other shops and structures marked for demolition in the area do not block the drainage channels or pose any obstacle to the said road construction, adding that some of the structures that were wrongly positioned had long been removed before the road was scraped, while some parts of the project are currently on the stone base level.

He then wondered what could be the government’s actual intent for the proposed demolition, even as he called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene in the situation or have a re-consideration, if he is truly the person who authorised the demolition.

In their separate reactions, a provision shop owner and occupant of one the buildings which fence is marked for demolition, Mrs. Caroline Chinenye, and a worshipper at the Winners Chapel which fence is also marked for demolition, Mrs. Gloria Ifeaka said they wondered the kind of road construction that could necessitate the demolition of almost every structure along the street.

They also expressed concern that the demolition, if carried out, will not only cause the residents unquantifiable loss and expose them to various kinds of risks, especially security risks, but also bring about a total blackout that may tarry for months, since electric poles and transformers are also positioned in the areas to be affected by the demolition.

An electrical parts dealer in the area whose shop is marked for demolition, Mr. Chidi Eze faulted the government’s decision to demolish the structures, describing it as man’s inhumanity to man.

He said (in Igbo language), “Before they started constructing this road, they pulled down many shops. And ever since then, they scraped this road and left it like that, with all the dust it is generating everyday. And now they say they are coming to destroy more shops and buildings to expand the road while they have not finished constructing the one they scraped since how many months ago now.

“Can you imagine this kind of distraction and the kind of hardship this will cause people this new year. What do this people really gain by suffering their fellow human beings? They said they are expanding road, didn’t they know the size of the road they wanted to construct initially before jumping into it? So, why are they coming out again now to distract people’s hustle and destroy people’s means of livelihood in this new year? This Soludo’s administration self; everyday one new story,” he said, visibly disappointed and disenchanted.

Notwithstanding these complains and expressions by the residents, a source in the area reliably revealed that the Traditional Ruler of Okpuno, Igwe Sunday Okafor willingly gave his approval when he was approached for the demolition of his perimeter fence which was consequently marked and included in the list of the to-be-demolished structures.

When contacted for explanations, the Managing Director of the government agency championing the demolition, ACTDA, Mr. Ossy Onuko explained that the primary reason behind the proposed demolition is to expand and make the road a dual-carriage road; and not to cause any form of hardship to people as many erroneously think or peddle.

He revealed that decision is in line with the government’s resolve to give Awka a befitting status of a capital city, while also revealing that the demolition exercise will still commence on Tuesday (tomorrow) as earlier proposed.

On the perceived effects the demolition would have on the residents of the area, including the blackout; Mr. Onuko acknowledged that such a positive transformation usually comes with some kinds of discomfort, but, however, said such discomfort would only tarry for a short period of time.

“Even the relocation of the electric poles and transformers will not take more than three days. So the said discomfort, if any, will last only but for a short time. But one thing I can assure you is that the vision is very clear,” he said.