By Praise Chinecherem
Women of Ogwuaniocha community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state have protested alleged abduction of their husbands and killing of their sons by a militant group called Pillar Youths.
The protesters said the suspected group have declared their oppositions wanted alleging that members of the group were in the payroll of a missing monarch, Igwe Oliver Nnaji.
They further accused the group of daily invasion and attack on them in their various camps they were taking refuge in, calling for Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s intervention.
The protesters carried placards with varying inscriptions like, “Stop attacking us with Naval personnel”, “Gov. Soludo come to our rescue”, “Release our abducted husbands, stop killing our sons, enough of these destruction of lives and property, among others.
Speaking during the protest, Mrs. Augustina Ejiofor, whose husband was abducted said, “My husband, Sunday Ejiofor, was abducted by Pillar youths when we went to sympathize with a relation that was biten by a snake.
“My husband’s brother was also arrested by the same youths and is now at Awkuzu SARS. They didn’t commit any offence.
“The problem in the community is lgweship/oil revenue derivation. Our monarch, Igwe Okwudili Ogali is now in detention, they started to attack him when he was installed our monarch.
“They accused him of being responsible for the disappearance of one Oliver Nnaji who claimed to be our monarch by imposing on us himself as the igwe to collect oil money.
“Oliver calls us amusu, (witchcrafts), for opposing him and always send his pillar youths to abduct us and declare us wanted, in collaboration with the Navy, police and Ebube Agu security outfit.
“We plead for the release of our abducted husbands and for them to stop killing our sons and destroying our property, we ran to camps where we have stayed for about three years without help and they come and abduct us there daily.
“Their people in Diaspora supply them with weapons and money to attack our boys who also fight them. Our boys are the Lion Squad.”
On her part, wife to rival traditional ruler of the community now in detention, Igwe Okwudili Ogali, Mrs. Ebele Loveth Ogana said the attack on her my husband started after his installation.
“Government should come to our rescue because the intimidation by Pillar Boys is much. We don’t know anything about the where-abouts of the so called Igwe Oliver.
“I urge Governor Soludo to prevail on the Pillar Youths to release the husbands of those women and stop attacking us and killing our sons. Now pillar youths have declared us wanted and attack us daily,” she explained.
Sister to the detained Igwe Ogali, Ndidi Ikechukwu disclosed that she was detained for five months simply for being a sister to Igwe Ogali who they accused of opposing the missing Igwe Nnaji.
“We have been declared wanted by Pillar Youths to be killed, some of our sons killed by Pillar youths were buried in the camps because of fear of burying them in their fathers’ compound.
“We are protesting the abduction of our husbands, constant killing of our youths and arrest by Pillar youths in collaboration with Navy and other security operatives,” she hinted.
In her reaction, ljeoma Elumeziegbo whose husband was abducted also, including her son-in-law, by Pillar Youths, said that she has not set her eyes on her husband and son-in-law since they were abducted few weeks ego.
“At a point, our President General, PG, and the warring factions agreed that all abducted people should be released and we released those our people were holding but the Pillar Youths didn’t release our husbands and others they were holding till today
“The pillar youths and their people call us unknown gunmen to blackmail us when they are the unknown gunmen. Their people in Diaspora supply them weapons and money with which they use to attack and kill us,” she lamented.
Mrs Njideka Anene, a woman whose son, Uzodinma Anene, was killed, cried to Gov. Soludo to come to the rescue of the people adding that her 34 year old son was killed in the camp when the pillar youths stormed it.
“He was married with two kids and now, l, an old woman take care of the two kids left by my son. They still attack us in the camp where we run to for safety, she maintained.
Recall that earlier, the missing Igwe Oliver Nnaji faction, through her women wing, accused the rival Igwe Ogali faction of perpetrating the killings in the community.
Jointly led in their earlier protest by Nkemdilim Onwurah and Ngozi Freda Nnaji, wife of the abducted and missing traditional ruler of the area, Igwe Oliver Nnaji, the women accused the youths of the rival Igwe Ogali of constant attack of the people in the community, using their lion squad youths.
