17 Killed In One Month As Anambra Prepares For Nov 6 Governorship Election

As the November 6 Anambra governorship election draws near, palpable tension has engulfed Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and other parts of the state, THE WHISTLER has learnt.

While the electioneering campaigns are underway, the alleged pronouncement by the proscribed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) that no election would hold in the state, is also a serious source of concern for residents of the state.

In September alone, THE WHISTLER tracked no fewer than 17 cases of what appears to be politically motivated murders and attacks in the state.

The assassination of the deposed traditional ruler of Mkpunando Aguleri in Anambra East local government area, Igwe Alex Edozieuno, and his driver, along the Ezu Bridge, Otuocha on the 10th of September, was the first in a series of murders in the last one month.

On September 19, gunmen shot and killed 3 police officers, injured 2 and set a police vehicle ablaze at a checkpoint in Ukaegbu/Oraifite Street, Ezeiweka, Awada in Onitsha

Also, two persons were gunned down by assailants on September 21, opposite Udoka housing estate in Awka, along the Onitsha-Enugu expressway.

On the September 26, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Somadina Oforma, was killed in Nnewi while three members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were killed in Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

On Tuesday (yesterday), Dr. Chike Akunyili, husband of late Dora Akunyili, was killed in a suspected case of mistaken identity. An unconfirmed report by The Punch quoted the assailants as chanting, “No election in Anambra in November.”

Meanwhile, the state’s Governor, Willie Obiano, also confirmed in a state broadcast on Tuesday that no fewer than 10 persons had lost their lives between the 26^th and 28^th of September, 2021.

Consequently, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tony Olofu, has directed political parties participating in the forthcoming governorship election in the state to submit the schedule of their rallies to the command. 

The move, according to the police boss, will help the command deploy other tactical and operational units, as well as traffic control policemen to strategic points to ensure that the existing public safety and order in the state is sustained.

“This will definitely prevent hoodlums from launching attacks on unsuspecting party faithful and properly secure such events,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, a social and political commentator in Anambra State, told THE WHISTLER that the unfortunate incidents that have trailed the electioneering process were a reflection of the failing security architecture in the state.

He lamented that over the years, Anambra had gained notoriety for violent elections, a trend he blamed on the unwillingness of government to tackle security issues.

Meanwhile, THE WHISTLER reported that the apex socio-cultural organization in Igboland, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, had warned that the Federal Government may declare a state of emergency in Anambra State as a result of the “barbaric’ killing Akunyili.