culture of political violence is fast taking root in the South-East. This could be confirmed by the political happenings in the ongoing electoral process where campaigns have witnessed attacks, killings and maiming in the name of politics. This is strange in Igbo land, where politics used to be fun or at worst, verbal attacks. Now it is like a real war where blood is indiscriminately shed.
Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, hotbed of political violence
It is not an exaggeration to name Ebonyi and Imo states as the hotbed of political violence in the South-East region and distantly, Enugu State. In the build up to the ongoing general election, many terrible political attacks happened in Imo and Ebonyi states, which led to loss of several lives and destruction of properties worth millions of naira. The governors of the states were called out on many occasions by the civil society organisations, CSOs and the opposition parties, accusing them of unleashing the states’ vigilante, Ebubeagu on them. This was the reason the outfit was outlawed in Ebonyi by a Federal High Court.
In Imo, the outfit is accused of being used by the governor to suppress the opposition. Lately, Enugu State entered its name in the bad book when Chief Victor Oyibo Chukwu, the candidate of Labour Party for Enugu East district, alongside his Personal Assistant, Mr. Sunday Igwesi were murdered in a most gruesome manner, which the family said “never in the political history of Enugu State has sacrilege of this magnitude occurred.”
They expressed worry that “the level of hate and intolerance that could lead a person to plan and execute this kind of action against innocent persons whose only offence was that they chose to exercise their God-given right of participating in the nation’s electoral process, is unimaginable,” even as they pointed accusing fingers at a rival political party.
They claimed that “Chief Oyibo Chukwu became the assassination target because of the stupendous popularity of the Labour Party in Enugu State in particular and the rest of the country in general, as well as his stellar credentials. He was coasting home to victory by the time assassins stopped him.
“We are convinced that the founding fathers of Enugu State never imagined for once that politics in our dear state would someday be taken to a level where the lives of the citizens could no longer be considered sacred. Enugu people had presumed that the politics of violence ended 16 years ago. We rejoiced too early.”
While Oyibo Chukwu and his personal assistant were not lucky to survive the attack, Ikenga Imo, a PDP House of Reps-elect and the spokesman of the Coalition of Opposition Parties in Nigeria were lucky to have escaped death when he was targeted. However, his uncle and other supporters were not lucky as they were killed when a massive bloody attack was launched on his country home in Akokwa, Ideato Council of Imo State. The quantum of destruction inflicted on the family of Ikenna on the day of the attack was better imagined. Over 30 vehicles belonging to his supporters were destroyed and razed down. In fact, it was a court order that allowed him to enter Imo State as he repeatedly accused Imo State Governor and his aides as behind his ordeal.
Reacting to the attack on him, PDP in a press conference on “the abuse of State Power by the APC-led regime in Imo State,” the party said: “In the past three years, Imo State has been under the rulership of an APC regime which emergence till date remains a mystery to the people. There has been a sustained effort to dismantle all democratic institutions in the state. Imo State today occupies the top positions in all the indices of social misery in Nigeria. Political dissent has now been criminalized. Rule of law has been stifled, and Imo people today live in the throes of dictatorship, horror and pervading atmosphere of the unknown. Vocal members and prominent leaders of our party have been targeted and attacked in the most gruesome ways.
“In the last one week, the Chairman of our party in Ogbaku Ward in Mbaitoli Council has been shot by gunmen who laid ambush around his residence and opened fire at him upon his return in the evening. A judge has been dragged out of the courtroom and slaughtered like a goat. The member representing Orlu State Constituency in the House of Assembly, who also is the candidate of our party for that constituency, has had his house burnt down. All these happened in just one week.
“For the third time in less than two months, there was another armed attack on February 7th, 2023, at the residence of our candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Barr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere. Recall that on December 23, 2022, the convoy of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere was attacked in Ideato as he returned home from Abuja, and he narrowly escaped death.
“Yet again, on February 7, 2023, the terrorists who, according to eyewitnesses, rode in a convoy of vehicles that included an armoured personnel carrier, returned to the very same residence of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere with even more audacity, all in the desperation to kill our candidate.
“What Nigerians must know is that these wicked attempts to eliminate Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere by all means began immediately after he exposed the widespread and mind-boggling compromise of the INEC voter register. This is what is now Omuma magic. Since then, Ikenga Ugochinyere has come under attacks which have gulped human lives and consumed assets valued in billions of naira.”
MASSOB decries political attacks
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB strongly condemned the increasing attacks on members of opposition political parties in Ebonyi and Imo states, saying that the attacks and killings must stop.
MASSOB specifically accused Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi and Hope Uzodimma of Imo State of deploying their local security outfit to intimidate the opposition.
“MASSOB warns governments of Ebonyi and Imo states to stop the increasing violence, intimidations, harassments and killings of their citizens because of political differences. The governors of Ebonyi and Imo states have forgotten that in less than six months and 14 months respectively, their political tenures shall elapse and they may be dragged to international criminal court of justice over the heinous crimes committed against humanity and citizens.
“MASSOB wishes to make it clear that any politician in Igbo land who kills our people will be banished after he may have left office,” the group’s spokesman, Comrade Edeson Samuel said.
MASSOB expressed worry that security agencies seem to protect the people behind the attacks.
“It is very unfortunate that the security agents in Ebonyi and Imo states cannot protect the innocent citizens of these states, and have failed to make any arrests. It is very unfortunate that anarchy, insecurity and lack of respect for the rule of law reign in the two states.”
Bloodletting is not our culture –Imo Elders
The Imo State Council of Elders has also expressed concern over the political bloodletting in the region, lamenting that such was alien to the people of the South-East region. The Chairman of the Council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya expressed concern while meeting a delegation from the International Republican Institute and Impact Development Organisation.
According to the respected monarch: “There is a need for Nigerians to embrace peace, and love for one another if the country is to restore the ideals of her founding fathers and get things right. There is no alternative to peace if the country must make further socioeconomic and political progress. Our problem is that people seem not to understand the importance of peace. Certain attitudes especially the issue of bloodletting, is alien to our culture.”
Igbo youths condemn
political attacks, killings
Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, said it is very unhealthy for politicians to engage in politics of hate and bitterness, saying that those engaged in that are not interested in serving the people but their selfish interests.