By Praise Chinecherem
Elders of Umunnaka village in Isieke, Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State have appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the Inspector General of Police to come to their rescue over terrorism allegations. They alleged that their lives were in danger.
It was gathered that some of the elders were recently arrested and handed over to the military by the local vigilante on allegations of terrorism and sponsorship of unknown gunmen.
They were later released at the intervention of their lawyer, Mr Louis Ejike Danielson of Pathfinder Attorneys, Nnewi, as they were not found guilty.
The elders who made the appeal were Chief Romanus Asoegwu; Chief Anthony Ndianefo; Chief Titus Nwakanigbo; Chief Julius Chukwuemeka and Chief Reginald Ibekwe all of Umunnaka in Isieke, Okija.
They said their ordeal and threat to life were not unconnected with a land matter they won which they said had made the people who lost in the land case to decide to be their sworn enemies for no just cause.
In a petition the elders sent to the traditional ruler of Okija, His Royal Majesty Igwe Emeka Nnamdi Okezie through their lawyer, they alleged they were abducted by the vigilante operatives.
“Our clients were abducted from their home at Umunnaka Isieke Okija in the night between 12:00 midnight and 1:00 am in the morning of the 9th day of July, 2024 by masked men who later identified themselves as operatives of the Okija vigilante group.
“They came in a convoy of more than ten vehicles in a gestapo style. Our clients were stuffed in the boots of the security vehicles and whisked away to the office of the said vigilante group at Okija.
“Around 5:00 am in the morning, the operatives of the said vigilante group came to our clients and told them that they would be killed eventually but not by them but by military men at Onitsha.
“The vigilante men drove our clients who were kept incommunicado to the Army Barracks at Onitsha where they were handed over to the men of the said military formation and informed them that our clients were the unknown gunmen who had been terrorizing Okija and environs.
“Our clients were kept and detained at said military formation from that 9th day of July, 2024 until the 12th day of July 2024. Our clients were thoroughly grilled by the investigating team of military men throughout that time. They were taunted as โunknown gunmanโ.
“After the drilling by the investigating team, our clients were found to be innocent and were ordered to be released to the Okija vigilant group for onward transition to their respective homes at Isieke Okija, “the petition read in part.
According to the petition, it took the intervention of the elders’ solicitors, the fair-mindedness of the commander of the military cantonment and some well-meaning indigenes of Okija to secure their freedom from military detention.
“The allegation against our clients, the petition continued, was that they were harbouring unknown gunmen in a large portion of the land which they won as judgement-creditors in Suit No. O/33/88: Ozoma Obioha & Ors V. Ndukwe Asoegwu & Ors. on which judgement was delivered on the 24th day of February, 2021 by an Anambra State High Court sitting at Aguata Judicial Division.
“The Respondents were actually the persons harbouring the said unknown gunmen on the land despite filing an appeal in the matter which they have failed to prosecute but rather chose to use illegal, illicit and arbitrary means to scare away our clients from the land since they got through the said judgement, “it added.
The said elders who later spoke to our reporter are in their 90s and 70s. They wondered why their names should be associated with terrorism when their duty as elders has been to ensure peace and stability in their domain.
They, therefore, appealed for urgent intervention of the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter and Governor Soludo of Anambra State to save them from the hands of their accusers.
