Exposing Violent Activities Of “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor, Emeka Offor & Others In Anambra State
Anambra Society had in recent times been
devilled by rampaging and violent activities of its leading troublesome
or violent billionaires and killer-“generals”; leading to loss of
several innocent lives, instigation of police extra judicial killings
and torture; maiming, abductions, frame-ups, trumped up charges,
privatization and commercialization of conventional security agencies
and agents as well as destruction of public and private properties worth
billions of naira.
The violent activities of the said
violent billionaires and killer-“generals” rose to an apogee in July
2004 when key public institutions and sensitive public and private
buildings in Anambra State including Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS),
the State Judicial Headquarters, Awka Government House and others were
set on fire and destroyed by criminal citizens and mobs hired and
sponsored by then leading violent billionaires and killer-“generals” in
the State.
At the centre of accusation then was Mr.
Chris Ubah, one of the leading troublesome billionaires in the State
till date. A number of killer-“generals” in the State then including Mr.
Chuma Nzeribe were strongly accused of being responsible for
coordination of the violent and coupist activities. The most shocking
part of it was that the destructions and other forms of mayhem took
place under the watchful eyes of various conventional security agencies
in the State including the Anambra State Police Command. The then
sitting Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, was also held
hostage and beaten up like a child.
Today, not only that the troublesome
billionaires and killer-“generals” have returned but their presence and
activities in the State and communities where they come from have become
an incurable nightmare and terror. At the State level, the fear of
these violent billionaires and killer-“generals” by innocent citizens
and various security commands is the beginning of wisdom. The State
Police Command and its SARS; likewise other conventional security
agencies in the State is parasitically under their permanent control and
pocket. Their violent activities have also been promoted, tolerated and
protected at all times by successive civilian Governments of Anambra
State particularly those of 1999-2003 and 2003-2006 as well as the
present Government of Anambra State.
There are many troublesome billionaires
and killer-“generals” in Anambra State till date and most prominent of
them are the likes of Mr. Godwin Okeke of GUO Companies (who till date
remains a major player in public security in the State), Mr. Ernest
Obiejesi of Nestoil Group, Mr. Emeka Offor of Chrome Oil and EEDC, Mr.
Christian Ubah, Mr. Arthur Eze of Atlas Petroleum and Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah
of Capital Oil. Anambra State also parades a region of quiet and highly
respected billionaires among them are Mr. Daniel Chukwudozie of Dozzy
Oil & Gas, Mr. Godwin Ezemo of Orient Group of Companies and Mrs
Adaora Umeoji (Deputy Managing Director and a major stakeholder in
Zenith Bank PLC), to mention but few.
There are also several killer-“generals”
in the State who now address themselves as “security
experts/consultants” or “market leaders”. Chief among them are the likes
of Mr. Chinenye Ihemko (a.k.a. Okpompi); co-pioneer commander of former
Governor Mbadinuju’s murderous AVS or Bakassi Boys and current
millionaire-AVS chief of Onitsha Main Market; and “Gen” Kenneth
Okonkwor, who now heads what Governor Willie Obiano calls “Operation
Clean & Healthy Anambra” or “OCHA Brigade”; a legitimized militia
group.
Mr. Okwudili Ezenwankwo (a.k.a Ewepudike) who says he is the President Gen of Anambra State/Southeast and Nigerian Market Associations;
is strongly believed to be one of such troublesome “market leaders”.
Attached below is picture of “General” Kenneth Okonkwor in his “OCHA
Brigade’s General” uniform.
These killer-“generals” were preceded by
the likes of Camillus Ebekue, Paulinus Ubanozie, WORLD BANK-Orakwu,
NTU-Ozubulu, BRAVO-Ozubulu, Bona Maduafokwa, Chuma Nzeribe and Emeka
Asoanya (a.k.a War Machine, who is now the Caretaker Committee Chair of
Onitsha South LGA). These god-father killer-“generals” held
sway in the inglorious epoch of murderous Onitsha Traders Vigilante
Group (OTA) and Anambra Vigilante Services (a.k.a. Bakassi Boys) all
backed by the then Governor Chinweoke Mbadinuju administration.
Out of these troublesome billionaires
and killer-“generals” mentioned, 97% of them did not go beyond Primary
School or FSLC, not talk of Secondary School. Any post primary school
academic certificate possess by any of them today other than FLSC is
procured or obtained through proxy “internal” or “external” WAEC exams.
Through unchecked violent and murderous
activities of those pre 2006 violent billionaires and killer-“generals”,
thousands of citizens of the State origin and residency were butchered.
The butchery got escalated and alarming between 1998 and 2002; leading
to mass and individual deaths of over 5,000 people in Anambra State. The
butchery was perpetrated by the then violent billionaires and
killer-“generals” using the trio of Onitsha Traders Vigilante Group
(OTA: 1998-2000), Anambra State Vigilante Services a.k.a Bakassi Boys
(2000 – 2002) and operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of
the State Police Command (2004 to 2013 and above).
Among earliest slain victims of the said
butchery masterminded by the said violent billionaires and
killer-“generals” in concert with or at the behest of the then
Government of Anambra State were: Chuma Onwuazo and Bonaventure Egbuawa
(murdered in April and July 2000, respectively, by then State Government
backed OTA Vigilante Group), Hon. Ifeanyi Ibegbu (then member of
Anambra State House of Assembly) abducted and tortured by AVS (Bakassi
Boys) in the late night of 21st August 2000 at Bakassi Boys White House,
Onitsha Main Market. But he was miraculously saved through timely
intervention of then IGP, Musiliu Smith; Edward Okeke ( a popular
prophet of Nawgu, murdered by AVS on 9th November 2000 over his prophesy
concerning Gov Chinweoke Mbadinuju’s second tenure), Ezeodimegwu
Okonkwo ( a.k.a. Jidoga, a popular musician; murdered by AVS on 18th
February 2001 at Nusgbe “33”).
Others are Ikechukwu Nwagboo ( then
personal assistant to Hon Chudi Offodile of the House of Reps; murdered
in place of his boss by AVS in February 2001), Rockfeller Okeke (a top
staff of the then Anambra State Ministry of Information; murdered by AVS
inside his residence on 23rd April 2001), Felix Ikebude (an estranged
apologist of Emeka Offor’s APF; murdered by AVS in December 2001),
Sunday Uzokwe ( a physically challenged community leader in Ozubulu,
murdered by AVS on 30th January 2002), Mrs. Ngozi Oranu (widow of an
Eziowelle wealthy businessman, raped and murdered over her husband’s
properties and wealth by AVS at the Bakassi Boys White House, Onitsha
Main Market in November 2001).
The rest are Barnabas Igwe (then Onitsha
Bar Association Chairman murdered by AVS in the evening of 1st
September 2002 along Oraifite Street, Awada), Barr (Mrs.) Amaka Blessing
Igwe “A. B. Girl” (wife of Barrister Barnabas Igwe murdered by AVS
alongside her husband on 1st September 2002 along Oraifite Street,
Awada), and Miss Chinenye Okoye, an SS2 Student of the Mathamavis
Secondary School, Umuoji in Anambra State; abducted by AVS ( Bakassi
Boys) and taken to its White House in Onitsha Main Market and raped for
60 days. Sources: The News Magazine, 21st October 2002, page 21;
Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch and Emeka
Umeagbalasi, 2002, 2003 and 2011.
The number of armed security personnel
attached to “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor of Governor Willie Obiano’s
“Operation Clean & Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade)”, is only
comparable to counter insurgency operations in Nigeria’s Northeast. The
attached armed security personnel include soldiers, SSS operatives, Navy
personnel, SARS, Mobile Police personnel and voodooist and
cannibalistic State vigilante operatives. The violent activities of
“General” Kenneth Okonkwor led OCHA Brigade reached to an apogee
recently when he rolled out bulldozers and heartlessly stormed citizens’
residences in Oba community land and Okpuno-Ezi Nkwelle in
Nkwelle-Ezunaka private Housing Estate and started demolishing
residential buildings; at which various forms of extortion and threats,
arrests, unlawful detention and torture ensued.
There are strong evidential records in
the possession of the leadership of Int’l Human Rights & Equity
Defense Foundation (I-REF) led by Comrade Justus Uche Ijeoma, showing
that a total of N38.6M was collected as bribes from the helpless
landlords and tenants of the Estate by “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor and his
riotous and killer-“OCHA Brigade to halt further demolitions. These are
contained in I-REF’s letter to the Governor of Anambra State, dated 8th May 2017. Similar strong reservations are also made and contained in today’s (12th
May 2017) press statement issued by the Southeast CLO, led by Comrade
Aloysius Attah concerning the callous and riotous acts of demolishing
the dwelling abodes of innocent citizens of Anambra State.
In other social climes, the concept of
richness is seen in theory and practice as a priceless gift or blessing
to the society. In communities where such rich men and women come from,
their communities and indigent natives and neighbours are at all times
lifted and protected from malicious intra and inter communal others as
well as from hash policies and neglects of State or Federal authorities.
Their wealth serves as a key influencer for drawing government
attention and attraction of key infrastructural and social developments
to their communities. Brilliant but indigent pupils/students of such
communities are awarded scholarships up to university level; without
parasitic or selfish strings attached.
Such benevolent rich men and women also
promote and protect at all times the sacredness of their traditional
institutions including kingship and peace and tranquillity of their
communities. They build communal roads, schools, hospitals, sink
boreholes and provide communal electrification, etc without having to
turn their communities, natives and kingship into perpetual slavery and
annexation of communal lands through bribery, offer of peanuts and
intimidation.
At a larger level, they set up
foundations, research institutions, social funding agencies and engage
in other forms of humanitarian gestures. In return, they are
immortalized while living and after living, not on account of how much
they acquired while living but how much they contributed to save and
sustain lives and the living and society while alive. Examples of such
living saints are Bill & Melinda Gate, Gerald Ford, George Soros,
John D & Catherine T McArthur, Henry Dunant (founder of Red Cross),
to mention but a few.
But in Anambra State and other parts of
the Southeast and Nigeria, the reverse is gravely the case. Rich men and
women in Anambra State, dominated by people with acute limited
education and slave-master idiosyncrasies, are like gods and goddesses. They
constitute terror and nightmare to the State and communities. Where
their communal houses are located in their communities, no house of a
poor man or widow is allowed. It is either the ancestral owner of the
house is forced to trade off his ancestral or her marital birth right by
enforced relocation or get it lost by demolition and frame up.
In some cases, “benevolent” method of
dwarfing or walling off the ancestral houses of poor neighbours with
high rising fences or concrete wall demarcations is applied. The
communal dwelling house of Mr. Ernest Obiejesi in Okija, Ihiala LGA of
Anambra State is a clear case in point. Asphalted meters long roads
leading to such houses are cordoned off and marked “no illegal standing”
and “no access”; forcing their poor neighbours to access houses through
backyard foor-paths.
Also in communities where these nova riches hail
from, there is litany of intractable crises; ranging from
communal/clan/kindred land disputes between them and the ancestral
owners of the lands, to kingship and other forms of chieftaincy and
communal union disputes. The number of conventional security personnel
including soldiers, SARS operatives, Mobile Police Personnel and at
times SSS operatives; attached to six leading troublesome billionaires
in Anambra State (Emeka Offor, Ernest Obiejesi, Godwin Okeke, Ifeanyi
Uba, Arthur Eze and Christian Ubah); likewise several others is not only
shocking, alarming and deafening but also more than enough to properly
police two major Local Government Areas of Aguata and Anaocha. Each of
these troublesome billionaires moves with at least ten armed
conventional security personnel.
There are also squadrons of conventional
security personnel reservists preserve for them to be used at their
slightest beck and call. Various and strategic army, navy, SSS and
police formations and their commanders/heads including Police SARS
headquarters and their units in Anambra State, Zone 9 at Umuahia, 82nd
Division of Nigerian Army Enugu and its satellite formations across the
Southeast and Police Force Headquarters at Abuja are in their routine
pocket and control. Their words are law and final before such security
heads. Whoever that is arrested at the behest of any of these
troublesome billionaires has possibly embarked on journey of no return.
Emeka Offor of Chrome Oil and EEDC is a
clear case in point. His ownership and midwifery of Enugu Electricity
Distribution Company has had a violent and despicable record of using
officers and men of various divisions and sub divisions of Anambra State
Police Command particularly its SARS unit to harass, intimidate,
arrest, torture and detain scores of citizens for months or several
weeks without trial. In 2014 and 2015, scores of citizens including
landlords, tenants, electricians and EEDC substantive and contract
workers were arrested, detained unlawfully at SARS formations in the
State for several months without trial and tortured for “tempering with
prepaid meters and stealing of EEDC properties/funds”.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
- Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
- Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq.
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
- Chinwe Umeche, Esq.
Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
- Florence C. Akubilo, Esq.
Head, Campaign & Publicity Department
Contact: International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Phone Lines: +2348182411462, +2349063500218
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
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