Police/IPOB clash: Oraifite community recount losses
Posted by Emma Elekwa | 4 years ago | 1,904 times
Monday, December 2, 2019, would remain indelible in the minds of the people of Umunakwa Umuonanie village, Oraifite community in Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Anambra State. It was a day both residents and visitors alike woke up to witness one of the darkest moments in the history of the town.
The pandemonium that greeted the area, occasioned by a clash between the police and suspected members of the dissident group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was unprecedented and unanticipated. No fewer than four persons, including two senior police officers, were reported dead while scores of other people were injured.
The community was practically set on fire with the news of the burning of two police officers during the clash at the residence of Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lawyer to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The tension created by the crises was so palpable that many residents fled their homes and even desert the town.
One week after the ugly incident, the community remained a shadow of itself. While some reportedly fled to avoid the wrath of the stern looking security operatives that stormed the town, others took to their heels to evade arrest by policemen.
Even journalists, who would usually rush to the scene of such an incident for follow-up stories were apprehensive for fear of what could be their lot in the volatile atmosphere. The daring ones among them treaded with caution as they gathered their facts from a distance for fear that they could be attacked by soldiers, policemen or other security agents who laid siege to the community.
It was also difficult to gain access into the town as the atmosphere was more like a curfew following minimal vehicular movements. Commercial motorcycle operators were reluctant about conveying passengers to the town, regardless of the amount a customer was willing to pay.
“No amount of money will make me risk my life at the hands of these stern-looking security agents,” one who identified himself as Obadiah said.
The tension in the community heightened with the state police command declaring Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lawyer to the Supreme Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, wanted over alleged killing of Oliver Innoma Abbey, the Oraifite Area Commander, as well as the SARS Commander, Ichi Sector, Patrick Agbazue.
The two officers had led a police patrol team to the compound of Ejiofor in Oraifite, where the police allegedly shot at three persons and wounded scores of others suspected to belong to IPOB.
It was learnt that the seeming police invasion of the house of the counsel to Kanu, who had three days earlier buried one of his elder brothers, irked some youths in the area who allegedly launched a reprisal attack, which was believed to have resulted in the death of Abbey and Agbazue, whose remains were burnt and buried near a village market.
The Umunakwa Oraifite village where the incident took place remained deserted. So also was Ejiofor’s compound whose gates were thrown open, exposing the destructions in all the corners of the compound.
The popular Nkwo Ifite Market, which is also a daily market, was also deserted with very few petty traders, mostly women, seen in their stalls. Okada (commercial motorcycle) operators also avoided the route.
A trader, Ngozi Uzoukwu, who spoke with our reporter at the Nkwo Ifite Market, said many people, especially men and youths, were still on the run for fear of the unknown.
Residents count losses
While members of the community battled to recover from the shock of the incident, some villagers have started counting their losses.
A commercial motorcyclist in the area identified as Sunday Arinzechukwu said the development had affected okada business. He said he used to earn as much as N3,000 daily before the incident but hardly earned N600 after it.
He also shared a story of his colleague, one John Okoro, a widower from Enugu State, whose motorcycle was burnt during the incident, throwing the father of five into hardship.
On her part, a woman from the area, who gave her name as Uzoamaka, said her sister, Uju, owned one of the shops destroyed by fire at Umunakwa Ifite Oraifite, close to Barrister Ejorgor’s family house. She said that all her wares and personal property in the shop were completely burnt.
A teacher from one of the primary schools in the area, who refused to disclose his name, said they had directed the pupils in their school to stop attending classes until normalcy returned to the area.
“You can be sure that teachers will not give account of any pupil who is carelessly killed in a period like this,” she said.
Another resident of the area, Mr Basil Egwuatu, whose house was affected, said he had fled to Nnewi with his family since the incident occurred.
He lamented that his window louvers were shattered with bullets from the guns of security agents, vowing not to return home until he was convinced that the environment was conducive for living again.
He said: “I was notified of the incident on the phone last Friday. I was told that policemen riddled my house with bullets. They shattered all the glass windows. I called my children who live abroad and told them about the incident.
“I have not set my foot on my compound since then. Eleven storey buildings in front of my house were allegedly set ablaze by the police. They shot sporadically at my house and shattered all the glass windows. Our village has been deserted. The lawyer’s house was set ablaze. Everybody has deserted the community.
“Had it been that people can access the village now, I would have taken you there so that you see things for yourself.
“The police will need to tell us what happened. They will need to tell us what we did to them to warrant the invasion and destruction of our property. People’s motorcycles were also set ablaze with gunshots. They would just shoot at the fuel tank and the thing would go up in flames. I am an old man, so I am not afraid to tell the truth.
“Government will need to investigate the matter and publish the truth. People can only challenge policemen if the security agents first attack the people. I have never seen a situation where people challenge policemen for nothing. Whatever that happened must have been started by the police.”
He added: “It was around 6 pm last Wednesday that police officers started shooting at the people while the burial ceremony was still going on at the residence of Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor. They pointed the gun straight at the people. Some persons were injured.
“But despite that, the lawyer appealed to the people to remain calm. He told his security men not to revenge; that they should remain calm. But instead of ending the matter there, they came back on Friday and set our community on fire.
“It was a police orderly who came with a prominent man that started this whole thing on Wednesday. Instead of minding his business, he started shooting at the people for no reason. There was no fracas or fight that warranted that.
“So, it was the police that took the war to Ifeanyi Ejiofor’s house. They know the truth. Let government give you an escort so that you go there and see things for yourself.”
The Genesis
It will be recalled that the fracas, in which properties worth millions of naira were destroyed, started when a combined team of police personnel from the Oraifite Area Command, led by the Area Commander, ACP Oliver Abbey, and men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad from Ichi, Ekwusigo LGA, led by its commander, ASP Joseph Akubo, invaded the family house of Barrister Ejiofor, lawyer to IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu, to arrest him over his alleged refusal to honour police invitation.
A statement issued by the spokesman of the Anambra State Police Command, Haruna Mohammed, revealed that the lawyer was invited “over a formal complaint against him on alleged case of abduction, assault occasioning harm and malicious damage to property; and following the report, police patrol teams led by the Area Commander, Oraifite, ACP Oliver Abbey, mobilised and rushed to the scene in order to arrest the suspect, who declined police invitation.”
He added that as soon as policemen arrived at the house, armed men suspected to be IPOB members descended on the police, set ablaze one patrol vehicle and attacked them with rifles and machetes. As a result of the attack, two police officers were killed while others were inflicted with machete cuts.
It was also gathered that members of IPOB had gone to Ejiofor’s house in Oraifite to join him in the burial of his elder brother, Rev. Louis Chukwukpelum Ejiofor, who was buried on Saturday, November 30. Recall that Ejiofor is a personal lawyer to Kalu, the leader of IPOB.
According to a source close to the family, “the pro-Biafra group stayed over till Sunday when they attended church service with their lawyer. They were still there till Monday, December 2, helping the family to tidy up the compound which was littered with refuse before police personnel arrived, wanting to arrest Barr. Ejiofor, who was out of the house at the time of their arrival.”
A tale of destruction
Investigation revealed that properties destroyed during the incident included residential buildings, shops, motorcycles and vehicles, among others.
At the family house of the Ejiofors, a four-bedroom duplex belonging to the lawyer’s elder brother was completely burnt. Also burnt were a storey building belonging to Barrister Ejiofor and another three-bedroom house in front of their family building which was completely burnt and pulled down.
Unpleasant smell was reportedly oozing out from all corners of the compound.
Other properties destroyed included large canopies hired by the Ejiofors for the burial, a car and a ladies’ motorcycle parked inside the compound, as well as 16 lock-up shops said to belong to the family.
A patrol vehicle belonging to the Oraifite Area Command was earlier burnt together with bodies of the two police officers.
Some of the villagers who spoke with our correspondents in Oraifite said there were other properties destroyed in other parts of the village. But it was uncertain who was responsible for the burnt properties as there were claims and counter claims as to who set fire to them.
The police spokesperson, when contacted over the destructions, said investigations were still on to ascertain the circumstances leading to the burning of houses and vehicles.
Meanwhile, the lawyer to IPOB, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in a letter addressed to the High Commissioner, British High Commission, Central Business District Area, Garki-Abuja, quantified the property lost in the incident to worth about N700 million.
“Why is the Anambra State Police Command shielding itself or keeping mute over the mayhem its personnel, the military and other security agencies perpetrated in my ancestral home, including the burning of houses and other properties valued at over N700 million, as well as killing and maiming of defenceless and unarmed citizens?” he queried.
Ejiofor reiterated that the only plausible offence he committed was his position as the lawyer to Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB, and had won virtually all the frivolous charges filed against the group in various courts of competent jurisdiction across the South-south and Southeast states as well as Abuja.
He called on the United Kingdom to intervene in the matter and prevail on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Police to immediately set aside the declaration made against him on December 3, 2019, declaring him “a wanted person”, and to fully give effect to his fundamental human rights.
He added: “I further call on the United Kingdom to prevail on the Federal Government of Nigeria to set up an independent investigative panel to investigate the incident that occurred at my ancestral home in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, on the 2nd day of December, 2019.
“I finally crave the indulgence of the United Kingdom for a proactive oversight and intervention in the light of this obvious travesty of justice against me, in view of the extraordinary circumstances prevailing in the case.”
On his part, the member representing Nnewi North, South and Ekwusigo federal constituency in the House of Representatives has lamented level of destruction in the recent clash.
He called for vigilance on all fronts to forestall further reprisal as investigations continued.
Azubogu spoke during a visit with top members of his constituency to the community, home of IPOB lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, leadership of the Oraifite town union as well as the police area command, which lost two personnel to the clash.
He condemned the conflict in the area, describing the loss of lives and destruction of property during the clash as hideous.
While commiserating with the State Police Command on the loss of their personnel, Azubogu called for calm, insisting that only a thorough investigation would guarantee justice in the matter.
He said: “I’m shocked at the level of damage to lives and property brought about by the conflict.
“I urge vigilance on all fronts to forestall further reprisal while authorities continue with investigations.”
The lawmaker regretted the crippling of economic activities the ugly incident had brought to the area, praying there would not be a repeat.
“It is regrettable that the incident happened within a constituency known for peace. The people of Oraifite are not known for stories like this, and this brings us to my call for a thorough investigation,” he added.
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