Rampaging unknown gunmen, in the early hours of yesterday set ablaze Osumenyi, Amichi and Ezinifite police stations all in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Vanguard reports.
This is coming less than twelve hours after unknown gunmen burnt some buildings in Nnewi South Local Government Headquarters in Ukpor, which prompted the state Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to visit the scene.
During his visit to assess the level of destruction, the governor promised to equip the police and other security agencies to enable them chase out the hoodlums who have been terrorizing residents of the areas.
However, less than twelve hours after the visit of the state by the governor, unknown hoodlums went and burnt the three police stations in the area. Amichi, Ezinifite and Osumenyi, respectively have common boundaries with Orsu and Orlu in Imo State as well as with Ukpor, Azia, Orsumoghu, Mbosi and Isekke where activities of unknown gunmen were pronounced.
Indigenes of Nnewi South, who spoke with Vanguard on Thursday following the killing of a security guard at Ukpor, had cautioned government officials against inflammatory comments that could trigger crisis.
The indigenes, including Joseph Anorue, Bede Njoku, and Okechukwu Agim, who respectively spoke to Saturday Vanguard, alleged that the destruction of the police stations may have been the hoodlums’ response to the promise made by the state government to equip the police in the area.
According to one of the indigenes, “the governor promised to equip the police in Nnewi South to fight hoodlums, but less than twelve hours after the visit and promise, three police stations in the council area were burnt, what a response to a promise by the government.”
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state Mr Ikenga Tochukwuu, confirmed the incident, saying that the affected police station had earlier been destroyed during the #EndSARS protests.
He said, “no policeman was killed in the attacks because the police stations affected were destroyed by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests and they were being renovated by respective communities where they are located. Unfortunately, hoodlums went and burnt them again. No police man was killed or wounded because nobody was using any of the places since they were still under renovation.
After the #EbdSARS attack on them, we restrategized and all deployments to the areas were from Nnewi Area Command which is in charge of the areas. We are, however, appealing to members of the public to avail us of useful information on the people behind the destruction.
Meanwhile, following the attacks by hoodlums in the local government, the youth wing of the Association of Town Unions, Anambra State, ASATU, has summoned an emergency meeting of all the youth leaders in the state.