Abia: Army Is Abetting Criminality In Isuikwuato LGA - Emeka Okoroafor Reveals |GIVES MORE DETAILS

........... Nigerian Army Reacts

The Honorable member representing Isuikwuato state constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Honorable Barrister Emeka Okoroafor has berated the Nigerian military especially for the role they have been playing with regards to the rising cases of insecurity especially kidnapping in Isuikwuato Local Government Area.

The Honorable member in an interview with Flo FM said the level of insecurity currently in Isuikwuato is now alarming, he adduces that due to the security situation in the council, the Police headquarters has been relocated to Ovim close to the army barrack while the Divisional Police post in the council has been abandoned by men of the Nigerian police force out of fear.

Honorable Okoroafor said in order to check this spite of insecurity which he said is been orchestrated by Fulani herdsmen, the council chairman of Isuikwuaito LGA held a meeting with the leadership of the Meyittei Allah cattle breeders' association, were he instructed them to leave Isuikwuato forest with their cattle's, he said rather than heeding to this instruction, they took over the forest and regularly engaging in kidnapping, killing and raping women.

In the midst of all these, the Honorable took a swipe on the Nigerian Army whom he accused of abetting these criminals. He said for instance, on Thursday 19th August 2021, some criminals masquerading as herdsmen blocked the road between ABSU and Ogudasa for hours raping, stealing and kidnapping people. He said it was during this incident that university lecturer and other persons who cannot be accounted for were kidnapped.

Honorable Emeka Okoroafor said immediately after the incident, the security arrangement put in place by the council made some arrest ,and few minutes after their arrest ,an order came from 143 Brigade Ohafia for their immediate release despite evidences linking them to kidnapping such as multiple sim card, charms, army camouflage. Honorable Okoroafor also asserted that the next day after the incident two other men carrying charms, phones and multiple simple cards and five others communicating with them to ascertain if the road is clear for them to strike were arrested by the security architecture put in place Council, but on the orders of the military they were released.

On what he has done to draw the attention of the state legislature as well as the Abia state executive council on the insecurity in Isuikwuato LGA,the honourable member said the issue of insecurity has been brought up at floor of the house for over three times. He added that even the Brigade commander, Ohafia and other security heads have been summoned by the Abia state house of Assembly, and after their deliberations, resolutions were reached for the enforcement of the ban on open grazing as passed by the legislature and assented by the executive governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu. He however expressed his anger that despite these resolutions, the military is deliberately abating bandits camouflage as herdsmen unleashing mayhem on the people of Isuikwuato as well as visitors and those who work or do business in the council.

He bemoans the helplessness of the Vigilante groups such as the Ebube Agu, Homeland Security and the Isuikwuato vigilante. Honorable Okoroafor posited that as a lawyer he understands their plight and their inability to do anything other than intelligence gathering and report back to security agencies such as the police and army. He decried that these herdsmen terrorizing his constituency are well armed and the den guns paraded by these local vigilante cannot match the superior fire arms of these killer herdsmen.

Okoroafor also appealed to the state governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu as the father of the state to support these local vigilante and Isuikwuato local government council by providing operational vehicles for these vigilantes as well as increasing the security vote of the council to increase its capacity to ameliorate the frightening security situation in Isuikwuaito. Since the military has proven to be indifferent to the plight of the people.

When ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER contacted the Public Relation Officer [PRO] of the Nigerian Army in Abia State, Iliya Dauda he disputed the allegation of the honorable member and expressed shock at the statement of the honorable member despite the actions of the Army in checking the activities of the kidnappers in Isuikwuato LGA and rescue of victims.

He called on Honorable Emeka Okoroafor to tender his petition formally to the Nigerian Army on any issue or allegation and the Army will immediately look into it and resolve it.