Father of 6, Security man hacked to death, 3 others escape, security van smashed as Okpoko communal leadership crisis deepens
www.odogwublog.com
reports that tension is brewing in Okpoko community in Ogbaru Local Government
Area, Anambra State as a team from homicide department Awka attached to the
state Criminal Investigations Department, CID of Anambra state police command
are working round the clock to unmask those behind the murder of one Mr.
Emmanuel Nwankwo, a father of six and a vigilance operative attached Okpoko.
Nwankwo, a native of Ebonyi state,
was hacked to death by a group of rampaging youths who were believed to be
resisting the taking over of mantle of leadership of Okpoko community by Chief Edwin
Emesinwa as President-General of the community, from Hon. Linus Ezenwanma, the
care-taker committee chairman.
An Onitsha High Court, presided over
by Justice Chudi Nwanwko had in its recent judgment in a civil suit filed by
Emesinwa asking the court to return him back to seat to complete him tenure as
the P-G of Okpoko town union, granted Emesinwa's prayers and asked him to take
over the mantle of leadership from Hon. Ezenwanma who the state government
appointed the care-taker committee of the town union many years ago.
Armed with the court judgment in his
favour, Emesinwa and his executive used the court bailiff and some policemen to
flush Ezenwanma and his care-taker members out of office and then took over the
mantle of leadership of the community on Tuesday.
Barely 48 hours after Emesinwa and
his supporters assumed office at the union's secretariat, the group of armed
men suspected to be Ezenwanma loyalists laid ambush at the secretariat at
about 9 p,m and allegedly launched what appeared to be a resistant onslaught
against the Emesinwa group and in an ensuing encounter, Nwankwo, the vigilance
operative was hacked to death, while three of his colleagues who drove with him
to the secretariat to park their security van, barely managed to escape death
by whiskers.
The State Police Public Relations
Officer, PPRO, Nkiruka Nwode (ASP) could not pick her calls after several
attempts to reach her on phone, but the Divisional Police Officer, DPO at
Okpoko, Mr Gabriel Elaigwu, a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP who simply
confirming the death of Nwankwo, told newsmen in his office that Nwankwo's
corpse had been deposited at the nearby hospital mortuary, while he had sent a
signal to the state CID, for thorough investigations on the matter.
Eliagwu noted that he could not
dabble into the matter because before the murder incident, both Emesinwa and
Ezenwanma had already been on each others' throat, leading to Ezenwanma
reporting the matter at Zone 9 police Headquarters, Umuahia, while Emesinwa
headed to Inspector-General's office in Abuja, adding that the matter are
already being investigated at that top level and as such now beyond his
control.
When contacted, Emesinwa told
newsmen on phone that he was in Umuahia where he had gone lodge the complaint
against Ezenwanma to the IG's squad at Zone 9 Umuahia.
On his own part, Ezenwanma told
newsmen on phone that he was in far away Enugu concluding his final year
examinations in one of the tertiary institutions, adding that he was not even
aware of the incident yet.
Ezenwanma added that Emesinwa and
his group should be thoroughly investigated about the murder because they were
the people who came to take over the mantle of leadership in his absence and in
a seat which according to him is not vacant by virtue of his appointment by the
state government as chairman of Okpoko town union care-taker committee.
One of the three other vigilante
operatives who escaped death from the hands of the armed youths, Ikechukwu
Nwadibia told newsmen that he saw Ugochukwu Ejezie, the secretary to
Ezenwanma-led care-taker committee and even Ezenwanma himself commanding the
youths that killed Nwankwo and also wanted to kill him before he escaped with
injuries they already inflicted on him.
The President of Okpoko community
youths, Comrade Obinna Udensi also told newsmen that Ezenwanma did not want to
vacate office for Emesinwa in defiance of court order because he has the
backing of the member representing Okpoko in Anambra State House of Assembly,
Hon. Benson Nwawulu.
Father of 6, Security man hacked to death, 3 others escape, security van smashed as Okpoko communal leadership crisis deepens
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017
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