Gunmen went on rampage in Orsumoghu community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, setting ablaze houses belonging to the State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Pascal Agbodike.The attackers also reportedly set ablaze the house of the traditional ruler of the community and that of the President General of the community, Nze Denis Muomaife.
The incident was made known during a meeting of stakeholders in Anambra South Senatorial Zone with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Recall that Anambra South Zone had previously been marked as a redspot of insecurity in the state.
Following the persistent and frequent attacks in the Zone, INEC at the stakeholders’ meeting solicited collaboration to ensure that elections in the zone are held peacefully.
Speaking during the meeting, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Queen Elizabeth Agwu, asked the stakeholders whether elections would be held in those communities because of their current volatility.
In his response, Muomaife, who said his house was burnt down by gunmen two weeks ago, said the community had set up a peace and reconciliation committee to make sure that such issues were tackled in time to ensure that elections can be held in the area.
The REC, Agwu, therefore emphasized that it was about time youths in Anambra State took possession of their lands, noting that insecurity in Igboland (South East) was caused by the indigenes and not imported persons.
“We must hold 2023 elections; it must be credible and the votes must count. This is the time for the youth to rise up in different communities to protect their people.
“We have prepared for the election with materials and men. What we need from communities is to collect their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs. Non-sensitive materials have been distributed already.
“Anything that will make [the] election not successful in Anambra South should be resisted; anyone caught doing abnormal things during the election will not be alive to tell the story.
“I’m relying on the Presidents-General in all the communities and traditional rulers to secure their areas during the election. Let us avoid suppressing ourselves,” she said.
Speaking further, Agwu said that the corporate existence of Nigeria depends on the 2023 general elections.
She noted that “This nation is seriously depleted today and that’s why we’re talking about unity. Voter education concerns and affects everyone in this country. There are so many ways it affects us, but the problem we have here is our penchant for pursuing money.”
