Anambra Security Operatives Allegedly Unleash Mayhem at Awada, Vandalize Office, Security Vehicles, Cart Away Gadgets, Phones, Cash

By Praise Chinecherem

Tension rose at Awada area near the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra state following alleged invasion of the office of the Awada Central Landlords Association by a combined team of Special Anti-Touting Squad, SASA and Agunechemba Squad who allegedly abducted a female clerk and two Vigilante operatives attached to the Awada Central landlords association’.

The SASA/Agunechemba combined team also allegedly destroyed properties worth millions of naira, including Vigilante vehicles, motorcycles, office doors and windows, after which they bolted away with two assault English Pump Action rifles, phones, security gadgets and unspecified amount of money.

The alleged invasion, abduction, destruction and carting away of Awada vigilante arms and other gadgets, according to the source, followed a scuffle between the angry residents of Orsumoghu Street, Awada who allegedly mistook SASA operatives for kidnappers being fed up with their intimidation and harassment.

According to the Chief Security Officer, CSO of the Awada landlords Association, Uchechukwu Jude Ukachi, the SASA men had initially invaded Orsumoghu Street in the Awada area at the early hours of Friday and arrested a woman whose husband they accused of being a drug peddler.

Ukachi who is also the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Jufuso Security Company, a Police Registered Vigilante outfit based in Anambra state, stated that residents of Orsumoghu Street revolted against the woman’s arrest because according to them, SASA men had no right to arrest a woman because her husband is merely accused of being a drug peddler, moreso, the SASA men were being accused of frequenting the area with tricycles and extorting their victims of sums of money ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 naira for bail.

Ukachi noted that the scuffle between the SASA men and the residents of Orsumoghu Street attracted the attention of Orsumoghu Street vigilante operatives and the neighboring Awada Central Landlords vigilante operatives whose office is located behind a story building belonging to the landlords association.

According to Ukachi, “when my security men rushed down to Orsumoghu Street, they met the SASA men exchanging banters with residents of Orsumoghu Street and the Vigilante unit and on inquiry, the Orsumoghu Street residents and their Vigilante unit told my men that the manner with which the SASA men stormed the area in a commando style without recourse to informing the Vigilante unit was wrong”.

“When my men asked them why they did not bother to inform the unit Vigilante of their mission on arrival which portrayed them as abductors or people on illegal business , SASA men flared up and extended their attack on my men, beating them with their pestle until one of my men took the Hummer bus ignition key which the SASA men came with to arrest the woman and left.

When my men returned to our office, they narrated what they passed through in the hands of the SASA men and handed the Hummer Bus ignition key over to me and when I discovered that it was an ignition key to an official vehicle, I rushed to the scene to return the key but the SASA men had left leaving their vehicle behind”.

“I quickly placed a telephone call across to the Divisional Police Officer at Awada Police Division but his phone was not connecting, then I called the Awada Divisional Crime Officer, DCO III to inform him about the incident. He told me that the SASA men were threatening to come and attack the vigilante units in Awada.

“On hearing that SASA squad said they would come to attack us, in order to avoid bloodshed, I called my men and told them not to return the attack violently if they come. Before, I came back to the office behold, the SASA men with a combine team of Operation Udo Ga-Achi’ operatives had invaded and unleashed the mayhem, shooting guns sporadically on the air, smashing and destroying everything on sight at the Awada Landlords office housing us.

“I told the DCO that the SASA men had eventually come and attacked my men, he rushed to the scene, took inventory of the volume of damages done to Awada Central Landlords Association Office

“Shooting sporadically into the air, they broke into the secretary’s office, financial secretary’s office and the cashier’s office, ransacking the drawers and and allegedly taking a huge sum of money belonging to the landlords association individually and collectively, they abducted two of our men whose names are Jideofor Ozoemenam and Chinedu Okonkwo and the lady cashier also called Chinwe and drove off, saying that they would come back for another round of attack,” alleged Ukachi.

As at the time of filing this report, Ukachi told newsmen that only the lady cashier had been released by the SASA men among the three abductees, while the two other victims who alleged to have been battered by their abductors were still in their custody,.

Lamenting that the SASA men are still threatening to stage a come back, Ukachi warned that he would no longer sit back and watch them attacking his men without returning fire for fire.

Also speaking, Vice Chairman of Awada Central Landlords Association, Chief Walter Ohiri who spoke on behalf of the President, Chief Patrick Oyeduba (Obi Ebubediike), said the Orsumoghu Street residents were provoked by the manner with which these SASA men invade the area frequently to harass, intimidate and arrest innocent persons only to release them after extorting as much as N150,000; N200,000; N300,000 and N400,000 as the case may be.

Commander of Awada Landlords security outfit and his assistant, also told newsmen that the SASA men collected their phones and many other security gadgets while ransacking their office, after wrecking all the havoc.

In his own speech, the Commander of Orsumoghu Street Vigilante unit,Awada, Chibuike Alfred told newsmen that the SASA men stormed their office with Agunechemba, shouting “no more security in Awada from today”, ransacked every nook and crannies, made away with their bullets proofs, torchlights, machetes and other security gadgets belonging to the unit.

In a reaction, the Administrative Officer of SASA who spoke to newsmen at his office gate on anonymous condition, admitted that his men actually ransacked Awada Landlords office in search of their official vehicle key which the Awada security operatives seized, adding that the security operatives were the first to attack and inflict grievous injuries on SASA men, using their gun butts and machetes.

He however denied abducting any person or persons from the Vigilante office.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochuckwu Ikenga who confirmed the incident, said the police have waded into the matter to restore calmness, saying that the police have engaged stakeholders of agencies involved to bring the three governmental agencies together for a round table discussion and amicable settlement.