Palpable fear has gripped the residents of Awada community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, following the alleged forceful invasion of the office of the Awada Central Landlords Association by a combined team of operatives of the Anambra State Special Anti-Touting Agency and the state newly-launched ‘Agunechemba’ security outfit....Read Full Article >>➤
The landlords and residents of the area are calling for a probe, alleging that the mayhem which occurred over the weekend, led to the destruction of both public and private property in the community, including vehicles, motorcycles, doors and windows worth several millions of naira.
South-East PUNCH gathered that during the incident, the operatives of both outfits, raided a one-storey building, which served as the security office for the landlords association, located on Onyebuchi Street, Awada and carted away two assault English pump action rifles, telephones, security gadgets and an unspecified amount of money.
Some of the residents who spoke to journalists in separate interviews feared that the incident, where their security office was attacked, property destroyed and some persons taken away to unknown locations if allowed to go unchecked, would heighten tension in the community.
Following the incident, the Chief Security Officer of Awada Landlords Association, Jude Uchechukwu, who conducted journalists round the vicinities where the alleged invasion took place, disclosed that the receptionist in the landlords’ office and two security guards were forcefully taken away and their whereabouts have remained unknown.
Uchechukwu said what triggered the incident was an altercation between some angry youths of a neighbouring community, who allegedly confronted the anti-tout operatives during one of their operations in the area.
According to him, while the altercation was going on between the anti-tout operatives and the youths, their commander called for reinforcement and shortly after Agunechemba operatives joined them and together they started raiding the whole community.
He said, “The angry youths of a neighbouring community in Orsumoghu Street, confronted the anti-tout operatives, otherwise known as ‘Akaodo’ boys and in the process, it resulted in a scuffle between them. Our security vigilantes were called to intervene and when they got there, they discovered that the youths were exchanging banters with the anti-tout people.
“On sighting our vigilante men who came to know their mission in Awada, the anti-tout operatives abandoned the youths who were having an altercation with them and faced our men just for asking them about their mission in Awada.
“Before we knew what was going on, the ‘Agunechemba’ operatives had joined them and together they launched a reprisal violent attack at our landlords’ security office, apparently thinking that those youths who confronted them were from our community.
“During the attack on our office, they forcefully raided everywhere, and destroyed the community properties, including properties belonging to private individuals. They also whisked some people away and took away some amount of money.
“Our question now is how did this matter from another community warrant them raiding our office to destroy everything, looted and abducted our workers? They even went to the extreme by scaling the fence to the office of Awada Central Landlords Association to break the doors and ransacked all nooks and crannies of the office.
“During the invasion, the combined team of anti-tout and ‘Agunechemba’ operatives broke into our secretary’s office, financial secretary’s office and the cashier’s office, ransacked the drawers and took 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 and that they would be frequenting the attacks on us until we are disbanded.
“How did the attack launched against them in another community concern us that warranted ‘Agunechemba’ operatives to come to our office to destroy and loot?’ I think it is a pure calculated attempt and conspiracy designed to rubbish the name of our community.”
He averred further that the matter had been reported at the Awada Police Station, where the police had come to take inventory of the volume of damages done to the Awada Central Landlords Association Office and left.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of Awada Central Landlords Association, Chief Walter Ohiri, who spoke on behalf of the President, Chief Patrick Oyeduba (Obi Ebubediike), said the residents from the neighbouring community were provoked by the manner with which the SASA men invaded 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.
However, in a swift reaction, when contacted on Sunday, the Administrative Officer of Anti-Tout operatives, Anayo Uche, who spoke to journalists at his office gate, admitted that his men ransacked Awada Landlords’ office in search of their official vehicle key which some youths of the community allegedly seized.
Uche added that the security guards at the Awada office were the first to attack and inflict grievous injuries on the anti-tout operatives, using their gun butts and machetes.
He, however, denied abducting any person or persons from the vigilante office.
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