Orlu Indigenes for Peace Initiative (OIPI) are decrying the recent killings and destruction of properties in communities of Atta, Obor, Umutanze and Okporo in Orlu, Imo state and are calling for Intervention by the state government and heads of security agencies.
President of the initiative, N. S. Ezenwata who made this call in a statement, lamented over the high number of youth murdered, and the destruction of properties and called on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi and the Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, to set up in investigative panels to address the issue.
He alleged that combined forces of security agents who had entered the community to fish out unknown gunmen illegally carried out these crimes.
The statement read in part: ” Our people are desperately crying out to bring the attention of Nigerians of good will and the international Human Rights organisations to the ongoing indiscriminate mass killings and abductions of our male youths and incesant burning down of buildings that are currently being perpetrated by the combined forces of the DSS, Soldiers and the Imo state government set-up Ebubeagu security outfit under the guise of combatting the Unkwown Gunmen.
This operation has been going on since Thursday, 30th December 2021 to the extent that these hitherto peaceful communities have been deserted hence turned into ghost towns” it added.
The statement further read, “So far, the lives of over 25 able-bodied young men, who are sons of the soil and known to many as hard working and law abiding home dwellers have been cut short by these marauding and trigger happy forces. Over 60 houses have been burnt down and the forces have marked on over 80 houses to be burnt or demolished, claiming that they belong to their targets.”
He called for more assertive and intelligent means of finding out suspected unknown gunmen, to hinder more killings of innocent youth and destruction of properties.
In trying to confirm the allegations from Security agents on the deployment of forces to the area, TOAST FM newsmen made attempts to reach the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mike Abattam, who however, claimed to be busy at that moment.
Several attempts to reach him thereafter proved abortive as it left a number of missed and unreturned calls.
