Angry youths of Mmahu community in Egbema, the Ohaji-Egbema council area of Imo state Sunday exceeded the bounds of decency when they smashed the official vehicle of the Imo state governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
Uzodinma had visited the village in response to a distress call to a violent restiveness in the wake of the death of two indigenes following an accident that occurred in the village last Friday.
An oil company, Sterling Global Company based in Egbema and known for trucking oil from Imo state to Rivers state was in one of its routine oil haulage trips Friday night, when their truck and Hilux escort vehicle accidentally veered off the road near a school where the villagers were holding a church crusade and killed two persons instantly while wounding and leaving several others with broken limbs.
The incident triggered instant crisis in the village with the youths gearing up for a violent reprisal owing to the fact that the locals perceive the company as exploitative and not living up to their corporate social responsibilities to the community.
In the heat of the outrage, Governor Hope Uzodinma visited the community and was moving round calling for peace and calm.
He condoled with the bereaved families and was thereafter taken to the palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Eze A.I. Iwuogu.
While Uzodinma was addressing the community in the Eze’s palace and calling for peace and tolerance, his driver was positioning the governor’s staff vehicle for ease of movement when the governor is done.
Unfortunately, some locals misconstrued the driver’s move to position the governor’s staff vehicle appropriately and started shouting that the governor wanted to leave without addressing the issues while alleging that members of the security agencies were conniving with Sterling Global Company to undermine the community and subvert justice in the killing of their kinsmen.
While the shouting was going on, a few stones were hauled in the direction of the Eze’s palace where the governor was addressing the community.
One of the stones was directed at the official vehicle of the governor and it smashed the hind windshield of the Lexus Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) which is the governor’s official vehicle.
One Mr. Uzochukwu Chukwukere, who is the Vice Chairman of Egbema Youth Association was allegedly identified as the culprit and was swooped on by security operative right. He was taken to Owerri, the state capital in handcuffs.
Governor Uzodinma had been accompanied on the trip by the Speaker, Imo House of Assembly; the federal legislator representing the area; the Imo state Police Commissioner and a full complement of personnel from other security agencies.
