A community leader in Ekwe, a community in Isu Local Government Area of Imo State, who spoke to our reporter on Sunday, has confirmed a story by the Punch about the inversion of their community by some unknown gunmen who came hooded to avoid recognition.
The community leader, who does not want his name revealed for fear of an attack on his life, has cried out for help from the international community, as according to him “our government both here in Imo State and the ones in Abuja are collaborating to waste our youths.”
He said that their youths are killed daily by the government or the criminals who work them. “Our lives are at risk every day. People are either killed or abducted by these unknown gunmen who are indeed criminals who work for this evil politicians.” He said.
The said gunmen on Saturday invaded the community to abduct some youths whose identity has not yet been confirmed. the purposed of the abduction is also not clear yet, even though these youths are said to be sand excavators in Njaba River, which is also in Imo State.
Our source said that 15 youths were initially thought to have been abducted, but it was later discovered that additional 3 youths were confirmed to be missing after the inversion by the gunmen.
Therefore, according to our source, at least a total of 18 youths have been confirmed missing in the community, all of who are feared abducted by these rampaging invading gunmen whose identity have also not been confirmed.
The Punch on Saturday reported on Saturday that 15 youths who were all male were kidnapped by these gunmen, a story that was confirmed by one Akubuo Princewill from the Ekwe community.
The abductors were shooting sporadically into the air, as they went about abducting youths in the community. They were also unchallenged by any of the security operatives of the Nigerian security agencies scattered all over the state.
“We are appealing to the state governor, Hope Uzodimma to come to our rescue,”
“This morning, some masked gunmen invaded our community, Ekwe through Amucha, arrested some young men who were excavating sand at Njaba River.
“After that, they went into the community shooting sporadically leading to people running helter-skelter. Some ran into the surrounding bushes to escape arrest. The gunmen were arresting only male young men. They ignored girls and women as well as elderly men.
“Later, they stormed the palace of our traditional ruler, Eze Nicholas Ibekwe, commanded all to lie down and released about 20 gunshots into the air. They didn’t kill anybody but we are hearing that some might have sustained gunshot injuries.” Said Akubuo Princewill from the Ekwe community.
This story was also confirmed by the Traditional Ruler of the community, HRH Eze Nicholas Ibekwe. The Traditional Ruler also confirmed that the gunmen who stormed his palace were four in number, one of which spoke in Hausa language.
He also said that everyone in his palace was ordered to lie down on the floor by the invading gunmen, including himself, the Traditional Ruler, a sacrilege according to our source.
According to the Traditional Ruler, the Hausa language was identified by one of the persons in his palace who laid down on the floor on the order of the gunmen, and this immediately infuriated the one (gunman), who spoke in Hausa language.
Imo State is a state in the South East of Nigeria, where the Nigerian government have deployed large chuck of the police, army and DSS for “security” operations, which have led to the death of so many Igbo youths, especially in the hands of operatives of the army and DSS, most of whom are of Hausa/Fulani ethnic group.
“Our people live daily under fear because you don`t know whose turn is next in this ongoing operation that these Fulani people are engaging in our home land. We are continuously threatened by this invaders on our land”, said the Ekwe community leader.
