By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha
Barely one day after the election conducted by the Iyiowa Odekpe Landlords Association Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State, suspected youths of Iyiowa Odekpe indigenes invaded the residents of landlords in the area destroying vehicles and injured people.
Speaking with newsmen, the elected Chairman of the landlords Association of the area, Mr. Sunday Obinze accused the President-General of Iyiowa Odekpe indigenes, Chief Innocent Nwanosike as being the brain behind the incident.
“I was in my house when the Odekpe youths invaded my house and started damaging my house and my vehicle as well as collected my #3.8million Naira meant for my contractor. They were going from house to house attacking people who supported me in the election and they said that their monarch is aware of what they are doing”
“They first locked all the exit gates of the layout before they attacked us. Our security are working with them, that’s why they opened gate for them and closed it to make sure none of the residents escaped”
“I contested the election of the Iyiowa Odekpe Landlords Association and I won. But Odekpe indigenes want to impose candidates on the Landlords Association which they are not members of. In a bid to hold leadership of the landlords Association, they sponsored a candidate and conducted an election very early in the morning last Sunday ahead of the main election billed to hold on Monday by the landlords Association.
Another contention is that the Odekpe people collect money indiscriminately from residents of Iyiowa Odekpe layout as you can see in the receipts. Government don’t collect revenue in this area. So, I am calling on the State government to checkmate the activities of Odekpe PG and the monarch before they kill people in this area.
Similarly, the elected Secretary of Iyiowa Odekpe Landlords Association, Dr. Chukwunso Okolie said he was about to go out when he got a distress call that a group of boys numbering 300 or more were coming to the new layout.
“The person who called me said that wherever I am, I should secure myself. Then I ran for my dear life and hid in one corner when these boys came and started damaging my pharmacy store, took all the money in the store and money used to operate (POS) for me. They also demanded to kill me”
” We are a registered landlords association like other people who are living in Awada, Fegge and other places. Why should Odekpe indigenes dictate to us who will become our Chairman since they are not our members?” Okolie queried
Other residents attacked included Former Vice Chairman of the landlords Association, Chief Hycienth Nwakaibeya Idu, BOT Chairman of the landlord’s association, Chief Ray Nnakwe, Chief Uche Ike amongst others.
Condemning the attack, the Ogbaru LG Council Chairman, Hon. Pascal Aniegbuna who was at the scene described the attack as an unfortunate damage, saying that it was enormous.
” I heard that there was a little crisis over the landlords association election. I put a call across to the two parties involved but they said that they were already at zone 13. Ordinarily, I supposed to have their audience and proffer solution to their problem”
In a swift reaction over the allegations, the accused President-General of Odekpe indigenes, Chief Innocent Nwanosike Esq said that he heard the mayhem and he condemned it.
“It was a case of election dispute between the landlords association which would ordinarily be resolved amicably through court or government instead of resorting to violence.
“So, I did not send hoodlums to attack anybody or the community. They were attacking themselves. It might not be my own President-General they are referring to because I am so busy with my office work not to talk of sending hoodlums to attack people”
” I am a lawyer, I can not engage myself in such scandalous acts.
Confirming the incident when contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, he said that Police were on top of the situation, adding that the wounded person is receiving treatment in the hospital.
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