Fresh gun attacks threaten Imo governorship election

By Ori Martins

The peaceful and orderly conduct of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State otherwise known as Imo 11/ 11, is apparently under a severe threat as insecurity, particularly gunmen attack, has dangerously resurfaced in many parts of the Heartland clime.

In what looked like a grandiose and highly sophisticated plot as well as an effrontery against the entire security agencies in the state, gunmen, last Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at about 9am in the Umualumaku community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area, ambushed, killed and set ablaze eight soldiers, policemen and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. Their two vehicles were equally burnt in the well coordinated attacks that took place along the road leading to the popular Aba Branch – Oriagu Road in Ehime Mbano LGA.

Stunned and almost speechless, the media operations director of the Nigerian Army, Maj Gen Edward Buba, noted that “Sadly, a joint patrol team of Operation Search and Flush suffered a set back when responding to a distress in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. They were ambushed by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed affiliated Eastern Security Network, ESN”.

IPOB has distanced itself from the dastard act and even call for a thorough investigation into the brutal killings of the security operatives.

The Imo State Police Command, through its spokesperson, Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident while assuring that the command was doing everything possible to unmask the perpetrators of the dastard act.

As soon as the news of the the murder of the joint security team hit the airwaves even as its video went viral on social media, the entire Imo State community, particular indigenes and residents of Umualumaku community in Ehime Mbano council, became agitated for fear of reprisals by the security agencies especially the military.

“We are all afraid because, going by previous experiences, most especially, the Izombe episode in Oguta LGA, the military will most likely carryout a reprisal.

“As I am talking to you now, virtually all parents in this Umualumaku community in Ehime Mbano council have relocated their families to nearby communities. In fact, I sent my family to Owerri because it seems to be the safest city in Imo right now”, a man who identified himself as Daddy Kamsy, a shop keeper, narrated.

About two weeks ago, a Lagos based businessman from Ibeku in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, attended the wedding of his closest friend from the same Ibeku community.

After the wedding, the special guest from Lagos was going home to Owerri, perhaps to flyback to Lagos the following day. He neither made it to Lagos, nor lived to tell the story. He was waylaid at the busy Signpost Bus Terminal by gunmen numbering about seven. He was gruesomely murdered just a kilometre apart at Afor Enyiogugu.

There is also the heartbroken tale of the chief executive officer of Choko Enterprises from Ideato Nation. He was kidnapped while he was leaving his factory along Owerri – Orlu Zone in February.

His abductors demanded N50m. Sources said family members and friends had raised about N30m of the money when his mobile handset became unreachable. One of his allies noted that for about one week when he was abducted, the Choko CEO continued telling anybody who called him not to worry about him. Subsequently, his mobile handset became unreachable. And since February, he has not been seen.

The foregoing reflects the generality of the state of Imo in the area of security. The gradual but steady slide to insecurity is now a source of concern to every stakeholder in the state. The masses are expressing serious concern about the raging insecurity in the state as it invokes groundswell of doubts for the much talked about November 11 governorship election.

“With the benefit of hindsight and referring basically to what transpired on February 25 and March 18, 2023 during the presidential and state house of assembly elections here in Imo, I can tell you that some politically exposed personalities who I do not know might be behind these acts of insecurity. Their aim is to instill fear as a way of scaring the people away from during the off season governorship election”, Ibeachulam Nwadimkpa, of Uratta in Owerri North Local Government Area, submitted.

Nwadimkpa’s view rallies with that of Chuka Onyejiaku, a commentator on national issues, who observed that, with the renewed insecurity in Imo, the 11/11 governorship election would witness mass apathy as the voters would be dead scared to go out to cast their votes.

The Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, after visiting the scene of the killing of the security operatives in Ehime Mbano last Tuesday, reiterated his administration’s readiness and resolve to secure Imo, not just for the peaceful conduct of the 11/11 governorship election, but for general good that will guarantee growth and development in the state.

Security experts have opined that for a genuine, credible, fair and free election which can be truly appreciate as a transparent poll to be conducted in Imo this November, the apparently appalling state of security in the state must be drastically reduced and normalcy returned.

This is evidently so because, besides the electorate who certainly will shun the polls for fear of dear lives, there are the the case of the INEC workers who may stand compromised in the face of gross insecurity situation as they would also be faced with the challenges of professional integrity and threats to life.

A cross section of the Imo masses has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to so everything within its powers to ensure that security is meaningfully improved in the state between now and 11/11 if there will be a credible election.