Community leaders raise alarm over group’s plan to stage violent protest in Awka

By FRANCIS ONYEUKWU

Community leaders from Amanuike in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra raised an alarm on Wednesday over plans by a group to stage violent protest in the community and in Awka.

The traditional ruler of Amanuike, Igwe Alphonsus Ezebuilo, raised the alarm during at a news briefing.

Ezebuilo was flanked during the event by Mr Samuel Okoye, the President-General, Amanuike Development Union and Chief Charles Obi, traditional prime minister of the town.

The igwe said intelligence report gathered by the community indicated that some youths were taken to a shrine to take an oath to cause violence in Awka and in Amanuike.

“Just recently, an unauthorised town crier announced that people should come out as they would be going to Government House, Awka to protest over a dispute relating to the Amanuike traditional rulership.

“There is no form of dispute over the stool, which I have been occupying since 2015 and when we got the information, we stopped that move.

“On Sunday, someone brought two trucks filled with armed men and they were shooting sporadically in Amanuike and we equally arrested the situation,” he said.

Ezebuilo said the leadership of the community had written to government, to the police and to the State Security Service over the turn of events.

“We do not want to be held responsible for anything untoward in Awka or in Amanuike; that is why we are making this public,” he stressed. (NAN)