One Day, One Death…Boko Haram In Anambra State

All is not well with Obosi community, Idemili-North council of Anambra state, as members of State Security Services (SSS), Special Taskforce (Obosi Boys), SARS, and soldiers attached to Igwe Alfred Chidubem Iweka, the traditional Ruler of the town had allegedly involved in extrajudicial killings of youths on daily basis through the instructions of its prominent indigenes.

According to our sources, the destinations of over 23 indigenes of Obosi are yet to be ascertained after many years of alleged apprehension by the SSS and Police under the supervision of HRH Igwe Iweka whose influence in government in conjunction with Chief Emeka Anyaku, the Former Commonwealth Secretary General; Osita Chidioka, the Commandant of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC); and Chief Dan Chuke, Nigeria's Former Minister of State for Aviation were claimed to have suppressed the outcome of investigations leading to their mysterious disappearance.

Sequel to this, about three victims of the ugly incident are currently in the court and the press demanding for justice over what they termed “attempted murder, murder, assault, harassment, occasioning harm, booty and malicious damages of their properties by SSS and Obosi Special Taskforce” and “unlawful imprisonment or killing of their sons without trial”.

In exclusive interview with Orient Daily, Mr. Ikechukwu Anekwu, the immediate past Chairman of Oliobi family, Ire village, Obosi, recounted how one of his sons, Mr. Obiesie Anekwu, a Physiotherapist was hunted, brutalized and imprisoned at yet to be identified custody.

His words: “Some years back while crisis boiled at Obosi, HRH Igwe Albert Chidubem Iweka (yet to be crowned then), solicitude the collaboration of my second son, Obiesie Michael Okwuchukwu Ramseh Anakwue (a.k.a Omorah) among other final year students of Obosi extraction at the various tertiary institutions in the country through which he founded a youth organization whose gigantic efforts catapulted him to Igweship throne. Then, five boys were selected per each family to that effect… Having been crowned, Igwe Iweka compensated them, and appointed one-Mr. Obichukwu Anyafulu as the Chairman, Obosi Land Management Committee (OLMC) who in furtherance took my son as his Personal Assistant (P.A). They truly served the community diligently”.

“However, on 13th November, 2012, at about 7.30 or 8pm, Mr. Anyafulu phoned my son to join him as he prepared to vacate our town in accordance with Igwe Iweka who earlier told him to ran for his life as something terrible was bound to happen same night. I hesitated not to allow him embark on the journey with his boss. At night, the prophesy came to the fore, as over two hundred Obosi Vigilante, SSS and Special Taskforce attached to Igwe, stormed my home with weapons of all kinds, riffles and ammunitions. They broke my padlock. We were beaten beyond recognition even as they looted our properties”, he said.

Continuing, he added that: “The touts came with three Mitsubishi Bus: one belonging to Igwe's friend, Mr. Ikechukwu Ejikeme (a.k.a Idemili Agab), special taskforce motorcycles among others. Through their instructions, we led them round our compound, as they claimed that Igwe had ordered them to shot my son dead if found claiming that he was a rapist, drug addict, kidnapper and armed robber. Fortunately, nothing criminality was found therein, and they left. The following morning, I, my wife-Mrs. Ifeoma Anekwu (a-Civil servant) and my friend, Emma Amobi took pictures of the damages to Igwe's palace. We were not permitted to see him by his secretary, Mr. Shedrack Igwebuike who claimed that Igwe would not speak with a person pending while an undisclosed operation ends”.

“Therefore, we book an appointment to see him next day (through his receptionist, Miss Ijeoma) and left. After over 10 missed calls, he returned the calls at 12.30a.m and ordered me to see him at 4pm, next day, which I did. When, unraveled the circumstances surrounding our visit, he admitted sending the thugs to fetch my son (Obiesie) but declined to react to the hoodlum's claims that he charged them to shot him dead immediately found even as he denounced responsibility to our demolished properties”.

Similarly, Mr. Anekwue who had being to exile since 6th December 2012 till date, explained that his son when contacted, refuted the allegation that Igwe's men were after him for involving in kidnapping among other social vices, stressing rather that war engulfed between them (OLMC) and the Monarch since the later refused to repay the sum of 16 million naira the group lent him for his ofala festival and for selling some portions of a land in which OLMC's office is situated without their consent.

He also claimed that one member of SSS once approached him and requested for a sum of one million naira from him, so as to release his son, even as he noted that the Traditional Ruler on 17thNovember, 2012, at exactly 4.45a.m phoned him to send his son abroad same day while his team of vehicle town-criers later announced same day at about 6p.m that any parent whose child is a bandit and so on shouldn't permit him to escape, else the person's house and properties would be looted.

He said: “Suspiciously, I filed a petition at AIG Zone 9, Umuahia through my lawyer in order to forestall them from unleashing more harm and destruction to my household. The zone served Igwe a copy of the petition on 4th November, urging him to present them with the hoodlums (suspects) on 5th which he never did. Then, on 6th December, 2012, while conveying his mother (my wife) to work in a Toyota Round 4 {AWK979AA}, SSS trailed them, firing the vehicle from Ugwuobosi to junction. My wife sustained serious injury at hand during the attack, the vehicle damaged irreparably, while my son was butchered, dragged out of the vehicle. Handcuffed and took to Igwe who allegedly shot him dead with bum action”.

Mr. Anekwue who claimed to have visited different police stations, SSS office including SARS office at Awkzu, Anambra state, in search of Omoran but to no avail, said that SSS Director at Awka, the state capital once informed him that his son is dead but he was not satisfied since none showed him Obiesie's corpse.

The aged man whose business and source of livelihood has now grounded, claimed to have written to the National Security Adviser, President Goodluck Jonathan, Director General for National Security Services, Abuja, Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9 Umuahia, Governor Peter Obi, Bala Nassarawa among others to no positive result, decrying that some prominent personalities in Obosi were suppressors of the investigation as two suspects once sent to Abuja to that effect were released same day even as the beholders confirmed to him that their people sabotaged the whole process.

He therefore, appealed to human right commissions among other interesting groups, the National and State House of Assembly, the presidency, the media and the world at large to assist him to discover his son's where-about whether alive or dead.