Young Pastor petitions Gov Obiano, IGP , appeals for intervention to recover his N7 million

A petroleum products marketer in Amambra State, Pastor Nwaka Ikenna has sent a strong worded petition to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State and the Inspector General of Police Alhaji Suleiman Abba for a speedy intervention over his predicament with a bank loan he secured to purchase petroleum products.

He claimed that a set of people vandalized, robbed and conspired against him leading to the falling down of his petroleum tanker and its contents scooped by them. He said both the petroleum product and the tanker were valued at N7 million.

In a petition made available to www.odogwublog.com through his lawyer, Chief E.E. Egbunonu, the marketer accused the police handling the matter of complexity and show of compromise. He alleged that Police released the suspects for them to run away from justice and for the case to die a natural death.

Pastor Ikenna, a young graduate of Biochemistry from the Imo State University, Owerri and also a pastor of The Redeemed Church of God, Nnewi said he entered into petroleum products marketing with borrowed money from a bank in order not to queue in at the labour market for employment that was not forth-coming.

Narrating his ordeal,  Pastor Ikenna said trouble started in March this year when he purchased 30,000 litres of DPK (kerosine) from North-West depot, Calabar en route Anambra State ( Ihiala, Nnewi and Onitsha) where he said he usually did his supplies. He said his tanker was traveling from Calabar where it was loaded and was allegedly waylaid by hoodlums at a community in Imo State  "as my driver slowed down to know what the blockage was all about, they attacked him with the truck and eventually fell the tanker."

He alleged that his driver and his conductor were beaten to a pulp and were robbed some of their personal belongings including money and phones before the petroleum product was scooped by the attackers and other passers-by.

He said the conductor of the truck escaped in the confusion and ran into a Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) team on patrol who he said went to the scene and arrested eight suspects with some motorcycles, jerry cans and drums while others escaped.

Pastor Ikenna said the suspects were handed over to Isiala Mbano police station together with the exhibits and the matter later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Owerri. He said more arrests were made which brought the number of suspects to thirteen.

The pastor lamented that no effort had been made to charge the matter to court by the police or community leaders of the area doing anything to settle the matter "despite the fact that the community leaders had been summoned for a meeting at the SCID, Owerri with aim of getting other culprits and possibly resolving the matter."

"Obviously, urgent intervention is needed in this matter to salvage the situation. Owing to the unnecessary delays, the matter has been approved to be transferred to zone 9, Umuahia, for over one month now, but from all indications the files, suspects and exhibits have not been forwarded accordingly, wonder how long that should take.

"Perhaps this unnecessary delay is part of the gimmicks to possibly sweep this matter under the carpet, " the pastor said.