By Ibe Pascal
Youths from Akokwa and across Ideato nation Friday night converged on the country home of the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere following the attack on his convoy by hooded gunmen led by Governor Hope Uzodinma’s Special Assistant on Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri.
The youths started trooping into Ikenga’s home around 8:30pm following the attack, and their numbers have continued to swell.
While chanting solidarity songs for Ikenga and Ideato nation, the collective anger has been palpable.
An attack earlier
About 24 hours earlier, Ikenga had reiterated to Nigerians the threats by Uzodinma’s government through the instrumentality of the Special Duties aide, Chinasa Nwaneri, to attack and eliminate him if he dares come into Imo state.
And Nwaneri and his gunmen almost made good their threat, thereby defining the actual meaning ‘Special Duties’ in the Hope Uzodinma’s administration.
Nwaneri led no fewer than 15 heavily armed and hooded operatives who attacked Ikenga Ugochinyere’s convoy.
Uzodinma’s boys, led by Chinasa Nwaneri came in three Sienna vehicles, two tinted Hilux trucks, an Armoured Personnel vehicle and another vehicle with APC sticker.
They forcibly stopped the convoy with the Armoured Personnel Carrier around the lonely Obiohia stretch of road, while the team of hooded operatives and thugs rushed at the vehicles in the convoy and ordered all the occupants to disembark.
The convoy had been going to drop off some supporters of Ikenga who had attended his reception and flag-off at Akokwa when they were forced out of the road by Nwaneri and his platoon of gunmen.
They searched all the vehicles for Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere threatening thunder and brimstone, but Ikenga was not in the vehicle.
They made preparations to commandeer Ikenga’s SUV to the Government House, but decided against that after going back and forth to consult with another occupant in the tinted Hilux truck where Nwaneri had earlier emerged from.
In their frustration, they vandalized, burgled the vehicles and made away with all the valuable and campaign materials in the vehicle.
One Ambrose Nwaogwugwu was also spotted as part of the team led by Nwaneri, as he was busy videoing the shamefully pathetic drama of desperation.
Presently, there is utter outrage in Ideato land as many stakeholders and kinsmen of Ugochinyere have described the action as a provocative resort to self help by the Imo State government.
“So after all their efforts to use the Judiciary to intimidate and suppress Ikenga failed, following the repeated threatening of Ikenga in recorded phone calls, and the failed plots to frame him for trumped up offence, they can no longer afford to wait for the Judiciary to jail Ikenga as they threatened, now Governor Hope Uzodinma’s hitman has led his armed militia men to Akokwa to make good his threat. We will not accept that! And if for any reason there is any attack anywhere in this country on Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, or any breach of public peace in Ideato, Uzodinma and his aides should be held fully responsible.”
The community leader wondered why Nwaneri, who is not the Governor, not a Policeman and not a soldier, could take laws into his own hands without repercussions from law enforcement officers.
The community is also accusing the security agencies of complicity, with a private citizen having access to an armoured vehicle, recruiting more than 15 police operatives and about 12 thugs in a joint expedition to massage his bloated ego as a government official.
