The on-going leadership crisis at Aboji Akanano Village Union, Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra state appeared to have climaxed with yesterday's alleged invasion of the residence of the President-General of of the village, Nze Dozie Nweke by a combine team of policemen and thugs and attempt to whisk him away.
The crisis which triggered off in January, this year, when Nweke won the election of the village union and was consequently sworn in, amidst protests his opponents who lost the election, has so far led to attacks and counter-attacks from the opposition parties.
But yesterday's invasion of Nweke's residence between 2.30 and 3.00 a.m. by those he identified as combined team of thugs and policemen attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Awkuzu, was climax of the crisis.
Addressing newsmen in his residence yesterday, Nweke noted that the team of thugs and policemen arrived his compound in a bus at the wee hour, six of the thugs and three policemen allegedly jumped his gate, gained entrance into the compound and broke the keys to the gate for others to also gain entrance.
He alleged that they headed straight to his parlour and knocked at the door and when he woke up and opened the door, one of the policemen pointed gun at his head and ordered him to follow them immediately as he was under arrest.
He said on inquiry, they threatened to shoot him and insisted that he must follow them but because he was not sure whether the policemen were genuine policemen as they said, since they were all in mufti, he refused to follow them and at once, they pounced on him and his wife and engaged them in a physical combat, smashing every available chairs on his head.
He said when the beatings become too hot for him and his wife, he told them to allow him go into his room to get his clothes and follow them and when he eventually ran into the room, collected his clothes and came out, he discovered that they had taken to their heels, believing that he had gone to bring a firearm with which to attack them.
He said as soon as they left, he now realized that while some of them were beating him and trying to abduct him, others were busy ransacking his compound to the extent that they made away with his money and other personal belongings, while leaving one of their sandals and they were trying to escape.
He noted that apart from the physical injuries they inflicted on his head, leg and other parts of the body, he was feeling an internal injury to the extent that he would leave for a hospital as soon as the policemen from Oba police station whom he had already contacted on phone arrive to inspect the extent of damages the thugs and policemen inflicted on him and his wife.
When the police team from Oba police station arrived, they were fuming that SARS men could invade their territory and carry out such a high volume of operation without first of all informing them of their arrival, even as he told the police team that it was since he defeated his opponents in last January election that they refused to allow peace reign in the area.
He therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to call SARS men to order so that they would stop using Oba community as a gold mine, as a result of their incessant invasion of the area, adding that policemen should stop dabbling into communal civil matters.
He commended the immediate past Commissioner of police in Anambra state, Hassan Karma who is now the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, Zone 9, Umuahia for his good works in the state and urged the new Police Commissioner to follow his footstep.
In their separate reactions, the chairman of Oba Community youths Association, Mr. Obi Ufondu and the Assistant secretary-General of Oba Patriotic Union, OPU, Apostle Chukwuanu Sunday Obumnene, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Prisons, said having witnessed the extent of damages done to Nweke's compound and the injuries inflicted on him and his wife, they would now wade into the matter to find a lasting solution into the crisis.
Specifically, Obumnene condemned the action of the policemen in jumping the gate to effect an arrest of a responsible person instead of inviting him, adding that the action was a height of gross indiscipline and a degree of lawlessness on the part of the policemen.
He called on the police authorities to fish out the policemen and deal with them departmentally, to deter others in future.
Efforts to get in touch with the Commander of SARS at Awkuzu, Ben Abang proved abortive as his phone rang many times without his response.
The crisis which triggered off in January, this year, when Nweke won the election of the village union and was consequently sworn in, amidst protests his opponents who lost the election, has so far led to attacks and counter-attacks from the opposition parties.
But yesterday's invasion of Nweke's residence between 2.30 and 3.00 a.m. by those he identified as combined team of thugs and policemen attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Awkuzu, was climax of the crisis.
Addressing newsmen in his residence yesterday, Nweke noted that the team of thugs and policemen arrived his compound in a bus at the wee hour, six of the thugs and three policemen allegedly jumped his gate, gained entrance into the compound and broke the keys to the gate for others to also gain entrance.
He alleged that they headed straight to his parlour and knocked at the door and when he woke up and opened the door, one of the policemen pointed gun at his head and ordered him to follow them immediately as he was under arrest.
He said on inquiry, they threatened to shoot him and insisted that he must follow them but because he was not sure whether the policemen were genuine policemen as they said, since they were all in mufti, he refused to follow them and at once, they pounced on him and his wife and engaged them in a physical combat, smashing every available chairs on his head.
He said when the beatings become too hot for him and his wife, he told them to allow him go into his room to get his clothes and follow them and when he eventually ran into the room, collected his clothes and came out, he discovered that they had taken to their heels, believing that he had gone to bring a firearm with which to attack them.
He said as soon as they left, he now realized that while some of them were beating him and trying to abduct him, others were busy ransacking his compound to the extent that they made away with his money and other personal belongings, while leaving one of their sandals and they were trying to escape.
He noted that apart from the physical injuries they inflicted on his head, leg and other parts of the body, he was feeling an internal injury to the extent that he would leave for a hospital as soon as the policemen from Oba police station whom he had already contacted on phone arrive to inspect the extent of damages the thugs and policemen inflicted on him and his wife.
When the police team from Oba police station arrived, they were fuming that SARS men could invade their territory and carry out such a high volume of operation without first of all informing them of their arrival, even as he told the police team that it was since he defeated his opponents in last January election that they refused to allow peace reign in the area.
He therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to call SARS men to order so that they would stop using Oba community as a gold mine, as a result of their incessant invasion of the area, adding that policemen should stop dabbling into communal civil matters.
He commended the immediate past Commissioner of police in Anambra state, Hassan Karma who is now the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, Zone 9, Umuahia for his good works in the state and urged the new Police Commissioner to follow his footstep.
In their separate reactions, the chairman of Oba Community youths Association, Mr. Obi Ufondu and the Assistant secretary-General of Oba Patriotic Union, OPU, Apostle Chukwuanu Sunday Obumnene, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Prisons, said having witnessed the extent of damages done to Nweke's compound and the injuries inflicted on him and his wife, they would now wade into the matter to find a lasting solution into the crisis.
Specifically, Obumnene condemned the action of the policemen in jumping the gate to effect an arrest of a responsible person instead of inviting him, adding that the action was a height of gross indiscipline and a degree of lawlessness on the part of the policemen.
He called on the police authorities to fish out the policemen and deal with them departmentally, to deter others in future.
Efforts to get in touch with the Commander of SARS at Awkuzu, Ben Abang proved abortive as his phone rang many times without his response.
Village head accuses policemen, opposition camp of battering him in Anambra
![Village head accuses policemen, opposition camp of battering him in Anambra]()
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Tuesday, August 09, 2016
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