Anambra State has been overrun by a fresh breed of petty criminals. This comes as the state’s governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, appears to have defeated killer gunmen, also known as mysterious gunmen.
Previously, the state was held hostage by notorious gunmen who carried out daily assassinations, beheadings, kidnappings of motorists, and open shootouts at busy intersections around the state.
At one time in the state, up to four distinct occurrences of kidnapping were recorded in a single day, while the fortunate ones were just deprived of their vehicles for use in lethal operations.
Top politicians and personalities were also targeted, with a congressman and his aide being kidnapped and beheaded. Hon Okey Okoye, a legislator, and his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, were allegedly decapitated after a ransom was paid, and their severed heads were discovered in a town distance from Aguata, where they were kidnapped, as was their trunk.
Dr Chike Akunyili, the late former Minister of Information, was also assassinated by gunmen in broad daylight at Nkpor crossroads in Onitsha, just after collecting a posthumous award on behalf of his late wife.
The assailants opened fire in broad daylight in the highly busy Nkpor Junction near Onitsha, sending a storm of bullets into his face and killing him. He was mistaken for a politician since he was riding in a black Toyota Prado SUV with a police orderly. His orderly was also killed with a single shot.
During this time, no public facilities were spared. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Nigeria Police, and many other organizations were attacked. The police appeared to be the hardest hit, with numerous police stations in Anambra being attacked and burned, and many police officers paying the ultimate price.
The lethal criminals were discovered to have nearly taken over seven local government units in the state. Most of the communities’ bushes were taken over as camps, according to accounts, and dynamic young men in many areas were forcedly conscripted into the gang, guided through oaths, and forced to engage in the orgy of slaughter.
Prof Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra State, declared war on them, hammering them in their numerous hideouts on a daily basis till their strength faded. However, as the state breathes a sigh of relief from the bloodsuckers’ operations, petty crimes appear to be Anambra’s biggest problem today.
Most portions of the Anambra State capital, Awka, have recently become difficult to access at odd hours, with thieves operating in tricycles terrorizing city residents.
The robbers, who use locally produced weapons and travel in groups of four or more, frequently ride tricycles. Their technique is usually to swoop on unsuspecting victims, sometimes in a bar, and take their phones.
According to a source, this became their most recent technique after the cashless economy made it harder to identify anyone with a lump sum.
“Some carry POS machines, but other times they simply raid a location and take people’s phones; they now use the SIM cards to try to access their bank accounts.”
“The unfortunate ones are sometimes kidnapped and forced to pay ransom by making transfers to dedicated bank accounts before they are allowed to leave,” the insider claimed.
When her spouse was taken, a female journalist (name withheld) suffered the same fate.
She told this reporter that the incident occurred directly in front of their house after they had returned home from shopping.
According to her, her husband had gotten out of the car to unlock the gate when some men on a tricycle ordered him back into the car at gunpoint, while the female journalist and her children were shoved out and her husband was transported to an unknown location.
The journalist had planned to dedicate her child and host a reception the weekend before the incident.
“Cancellation of Child Dedication Reception,” she said in a note to this reporter. This is to advise you that our child’s dedication will take place on Sunday as planned. The event, however, has been canceled. This is because my husband was kidnapped on Wednesday, 12/04/23, outside the gate of our compound in Okpuno, Awka. To God’s glory, he was liberated by his captors in the early hours of Thursday, April 13th, in a woodland in Mbaukwu. My husband found the encounter disturbing.”
According to reports, the man was released after being compelled to transfer millions of dollars from his account to those of his kidnappers.
In another episode, this reporter was almost killed by armed young men.
A thief approached the reporter with a pump action gun, which he held to the reporter’s head, demanding his phone.
By chance, the reporter hurled the phone far away from both himself and the thief and raced in a different direction, prompting the robber to fire a shot in the air before fleeing, abandoning this reporter and even the phone.
Armed thieves operating in minibuses, known as ‘one chance’ bandits, have taken over Onitsha.
They normally appear as commuters, and after a passenger is picked up, they force-drive them to a location where they rob them of their goods or hold them hostage until a ransom is paid.
Mrs Gloria Anaeze, an Onitsha resident, stated, “Once you board public transportation in Onitsha, be it tricycle, mini-bus, or regular buses, you must be on the alert, or you may just be handing yourself over to your kidnappers.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost phones to hoodlums in Onitsha.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, stated in a news statement that the command was working to ensure that such minor offenses were dealt with.
Ikenga stated in a press statement issued during the Easter and Salah celebrations that the command has deployed officers to public places and noted flashpoints to safeguard the safety of Anambra indigenes and residents alike.
