The House of Representatives has unveiled plans to investigate the recurring cases of assassination and senseless killings of security personnel at the police checkpoint as well as armless Citizens in Enugu.
The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a Petition laid by Hon. Atu Chimaobi Sam, member representing Enugu North and South Federal Constituency, who solicited for the House intervention, with a view to safeguard lives of his Constituents.
The petition was initiated by the Kindred Families of Ndiaga, Umunenshi and Umuchimengwu, Amechi Uwani Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State led by Sir Richard Nnamani who gave vivid account of the perpetuators of the heinous crime against humanity.
While noting that the House of Representatives remains the “last resort in our irrepressible quest to seek for justice, believing that no criminal should be left off the hook or go unpunished, for any reason whatsoever,” the Petitioners called for overhaul of the Enugu State Police Command in the bid to nip the crime in the bud.
“Mr. Speaker Sir, we most respectfully and most unfortunately bring to your notice, that there have been series of atrocities, criminal activities and other vices leading to the murder of several members of our community and those of our neighbouring Obeagu Awkunanaw Community by a group of murderers and hirelings who are obviously being shielded or whose cases appear to have been swept under the carpet by the police for inexplicable reasons.
“In some cases where arrests are made, the real murderers are intentionally overlooked while some innocent members of our community are hounded into custody and charged to court in a surreptitious effort to distract attention and circumvent the law.
“As a background Sir. following series of earlier murders and the assassination of one Sunday Ngene, a native of our neigbouring Obeagu Awkunanaw community sometime in December, 2022, their traditional ruler, HRH Igwe Mike Nnukwu, (JP) had cause to author a petition to the Inspector General of Police, praying for the investigation of sundry complaints and prosecution of those indicted and or suspected to have allegedly committed the murder. Upon approval of the said petition, the principal suspect was arrested by the Zone 13 Zonal CID Ukpo.
“On interrogation, a can of worms was opened exposing the facts behind the assassination of the referenced Sunday Ngene, as well as further shocking revelations into other previous cases of assassination and criminalities in and around our community dating back to 2015, and highlighting that the murders were principally orchestrated by several Individuals working at the behest of certain other sponsors.
“Despite not getting full disclosure of the individuals and their sponsors, we are however in the know that the ZCID Zone 13, Ukpo-Dunukofia, Anambra State have uncovered the identities of a great number of the individuals concerned and that some of the identified suspects are said to be on the run.
“We can now surprised Sir, that the disclosures made by the said principal suspect showed that other cases of murder such as the murder of one Inspector Celestine Oriodovwe of Force CID Annex Enugu in December 2021, who was investigating sundry allegations of attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms etc. against the same set of suspects, till he was kidnapped, killed and his vehicle set ablaze in our community were allegedly perpetrated by these same suspects and others still at large.
“Sir, from information available to us, we can also infer that the murder of one Kelvin Ebuka Ugwu, another native of the neighbouring Obeagu Awkunanaw community who was killed on 1st June, 2021: the assassinations of Kevin Ezeoha, a native of our community and Chidera Ogaba who were murdered sometime in January, 2022 whilst attending a supposed APC Ward meeting in the neighbouring Obeagu Awkunanaw community alongside Nnaemeka Agbo, Nnamani Ikpa and Sunday Nnamani, other natives of our community who were murdered at Isiagu, still in our community sometime in 2015, as well as other numerous attacks on many police check points within Enugu South LGA of Enugu State between the year 2020 and 2023, are supposedly linked to these suspects.
“It is our greatest dismay Sir, that the Police seem to have lost their sense of direction in handling these multiple capital offences as enumerated above, and that from all indications, it appears that some of the officers are now instead being deployed against innocent indigenes of our community obviously in response to our untiring efforts to wrestle our ancestral lands and heritage from land grabbers who, with the tacit support of former Governor Ugwuanyi, have continued to lay siege on our community,” the petition partly read.
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