Agony in South East as kidnappers lay siege to communities

Tales of woes have continued to persist in the South-East geo-political region due to the unending spate of kidnappings in the zone.

No week passes by without tales of people being kidnapped in different parts of the five states that make up the zone, reports Vanguard.

Stories abound of innocent travellers who were caught in the web of dare-devil kidnappers and taken into bushes where they were kept. At the same time, the abductors demanded ransom from their families.

Some kidnapped victims got lucky and survived the ordeal after paying the ransom and lived to tell their stories, while others who were not so lucky; paid the ransom and were still killed and their dead bodies and personal items littered the bushes where they were kept.

Consequently, these forests where they were kept became terror zones for the villagers.

Some of these forests have been nicknamed ‘Sambisa forests’ by the villagers.

Some communities have been abandoned and deserted, yet in some others, people are always on the edge and live in constant fear. Life in the region has become brutish, as people in every state in the zone have tales of woe to tell.

Security agents had on many occasions combed the forests and bushes for these kidnappers and on many occasions, exchanged gun battles with them. Some of the kidnappers were termed unknown gunmen and in many other cases, there were herdsmen who invaded and occupied some forests and bushes in Igbo land. They kidnap and terrorize people.

A cross-section of residents of the region agreed that forests and bushes in their areas were not safe, as they had been occupied by criminal elements who turned them into places for torture, killing, maiming, rape, shrines, and all manner of evil activities.

Abia State

The security situation in Abia witnessed tremendous improvement shortly after assumption of office by Governor Alex Otti. However, recent attacks and killings in the state have challenged whatever efforts the government has put in place to tackle insecurity.

The Otti administration courageously combed the bushes occupied by killer herdsmen and other criminal elements that have been terrorizing and holding hostage the people of the South East and in particular, users of the busy Enugu-Port Harcourt road, especially the Isiukwuato and Umunneochi axis.

The government was said to have insisted on visiting an area in Lokpanta Cattle market said to be a no-go area for non-Fulani. What was discovered in the area and other forests and bushes around the market was both shocking and mind-boggling.

These chilly discoveries include decapitated human corpses, shallow graves, and abandoned vehicles of all types belonging to kidnapped victims who were either killed or released and their vehicles seized. Some of these things were uncovered during raids by security operatives in the forests occupied by killer Fulani bandits and the dreaded unknown gunmen, two killer groups that have been holding the region hostage.

We are shocked — Abia govt

Reacting to what was discovered during the raid of the forests, the market and their surroundings, Governor Otti said 50 decomposing and 20 headless bodies were found around Lokpanta Cattle Market in Umunneochi council area, saying the raid was “an eye opener and a tip of an iceberg of what could be found in many other forests and bushes in the zone”, going by the pains inflicted on residents and visitors to the area in the last three years.

Otti, who noted with regret that the vicinity of the market had turned into a den for criminal activities, said: “We have installed electronic equipment that tells us what is happening in every part of the state. A few weeks ago, we found that a lot of ransom paid for kidnapping ended up somewhere around Umunneochi, and we decided to raid the place.

‘’During the raid, we made shocking discoveries. In less than 48 hours, we recovered over 50 dead bodies around the cattle market in Umunneochi.

We recovered over 20 decomposing, headless bodies — men, women, and children. We recovered so many skeletons of people killed. We also discovered that gun running, prostitution and so many evil things were happening in the market. So, we realized that the first thing to do is to secure the market. We went in and brought down many brothels, and we felt that the market, just like any other market, should be a day market that starts in the morning and closes in the evening.

“We have started fencing the market, even though it will cost a fortune. We also want to make it a general market, not just for cattle alone. There will be sections for provisions, foodstuffs, electronics, and others. We also feel that those people hibernating in the market should go and live in the communities.

We want to have a peaceful environment around Umunneochi and other parts of the state. Anybody not supporting this move must be a criminal, and there is no place for criminals anymore in Abia”, the governor warned.

Govt’s decision to sanitize market commendable — Residents

The residents of the state are in agreement with what the government is doing in the area.

The immediate past member, who represented Umunneochi State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Okey Igwe, said what was happening in Lokpanta though shocking, was not new to some stakeholders.

Igwe said: “To some people, it is just coming to light but we have lived with this terror for a long time. Hopefully, this is the start of the lasting solution to the menace. I don’t think the governor of the state will be playing games with a serious issue like this.

“I have seen some of the pictures. I don’t think anybody should lecture me on the reality of the situation. If anybody is in doubt that we were under siege, I don’t know why.

“People who were kidnapped lost their lives in the process. A senior police officer in Isuochi was kidnapped and later killed. The former Prelate of the Methodist Church was also kidnapped in this same area.

‘’So, I don’t think anybody should be in denial of this. It shouldn’t be a tribal thing. I rather think what should matter to all is how to bring lasting solution to the menace. Our people have been through this horror, and I hope we are beginning to get respite.

“If measures by the state government are considered the solution to this security threat, it should be supported by all because anybody could be a victim. So, I don’t think the move is to witch-hunt anybody.

“It is a security policy, and if government suspects that the cattle market has been hijacked by some elements, fencing it and making it a day market, I think, makes sense. I don’t think the original intention was to make it a residential market. People should go to the market and return to their houses afterwards. I don’t think the market should be a residential area”.

Prince Ikedi Ezekwesili, also a former lawmaker, said movement around Umunneochi had become a nightmare, following a spike in criminality in the area. He said the number of casualties should not be argued, considering the atrocious activities of bandits and kidnappers on the prowl in the area covering Isuochi/Ihube/Aku forest.

“It is quite disturbing. It was common knowledge. When our women went to the farm they would return with very gory experiences of having met decomposing bodies or skeletons or documents of kidnapped victims”.

However, the insecurity around the Lokpanta axis seems now to be a bit under control, according to the state government. Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, Commander Macdonald Ubah, retd, told Vanguard that kidnappings around Lokpanta cattle market axis had been put under control.

Although he acknowledged that there are still pockets of what he called “displaced crimes” in parts of the state, Ubah said insecurity has drastically declined in the state.

Ubah said: “In terms of insecurity around the Lokpanta axis, everything is now under control. We have concluded fencing. The state government is now providing facilities such as water, toilets, and power for people using the market.

“The market is now a daily market. That was the reason they went to court but they saw good reason and went to court on their own to withdraw the suit. That means all parties are now in agreement. The government has put a lot of money into the project. There are street lights at night around the market to nip crime in the bud.”

The SA said other security measures that could not be divulged had been put in place to combat crime in the state, and commended vigilante members in the various communities who had also helped in the efforts against insecurity in the state.

Anambra State

Just recently, gunmen abducted a lawyer and two other persons in Nkpologwu, Aguata LGA of Anambra. The victim reportedly arrived from Abuja to speak to a group of women at an event. The other two victims, who were said to have visited from Rivers State, were whisked away in different directions.

It happened during the grand finale of this year’s women’s August meeting. Anambra State has, indeed, witnessed and is still witnessing massive kidnap incidents. Before the election of November 2021 that brought on board Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the state was almost a no-go area.

None of the 21 council areas is safe. People get kidnapped and sometimes killed almost daily by the so-called unknown gunmen. Soludo himself escaped death by whiskers during one of his campaign rallies, incidentally in his hometown of Isuofia.

Sadly, three policemen were killed in the ugly incident. The situation almost threatened the election, but was managed and the election was held.

On assumption of office, the Soludo government launched a war against the gunmen who at that time held Anambra State under siege, particularly, the South senatorial zone where the governor comes from. Then the border local government areas with Imo State, namely Aguata, Nnewi, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, and South were under siege by the gunmen. They responded to the government’s fight with a more ferocious attack, burning properties in some local government council headquarters. As they were being decimated, they kept retaliating, killing, maiming, and kidnapping innocent people. Some communities in the area became no-go areas.

The vast stretch of inter-state borderland between Anambra and Imo states became no man’s land as it was virtually taken over by hoodlums who attacked and kidnapped motorists. To date, the hoodlums still operate in these areas, even though their capacity seems to have been greatly reduced. They have recruited locals who provide them with information on who and when to attack and kidnap.

Some of their known camps in that axis include ‘’Mother Valley’’, around the Lilu-Osumorghu axis and, the Ihiala council area, which due to its steep forest terrain, was nicknamed the ‘’Sambisa of the South East.’’

The forest area goes by many other names, depending on which community one is in. It spans over 700 hectares and is within reach of thousands of rural populations. On the map, it appears a vast green belt spread between border communities. The forest is so dense that much of the ground level is invisible from above.

Other dreaded kidnapper’s dens could be found in Ukpor, Utu, both in Nnewi South, as well as Lilu, Orumoghu, Mbosi, Uli, all in Ihiala Local Government Area. Victims, who managed to escape, narrated their ugly experiences in some of these forests.

Tales of victims

A victim, who was set free from Lilu forest after his family paid the demanded ransom, described the den as hell on earth.

“In that forest, people are killed like chicken. Charms and various types of hard drugs are freely used. Women bring cooked food into the forest and are paid and the victims are constantly tortured and their cries put on speaker of mobile phones to get family members to pay ransom on them.”

In March 2024, the army conducted an operation in one of the camps and recovered weapons and various supplies which they alleged were used by IPOB fighters, a claim IPoB leadership denied. Although some areas have been recovered, it is not yet Uhuru as the criminals still operate intermittently.

Surprisingly, most of the criminal camps in the South East are within walking distance of many of the communities.

The question on the lips of Ndi Anambra is about what it will cost the state governments to completely clear the forests and bushes which are not much compared to what is obtained in other regions, and put them to a profitable use.

Imo State

Imo State could rightly be said to be the harbinger of the present kidnappings and general insecurity in the region. This ugly situation could be traced to the attack on Owerri Prisons in April 2021, during which many criminals fled.

It was in the Imo security crisis that the new security lexicon of ‘’unknown gunmen’’ was coined. Imo was at a time literally under siege by criminals. From Okigwe to Oguta to Orsu to Orlu, no part of the state was safe.

Attacks and killings were going on almost on an hourly basis. It was, indeed, a horrible situation. Virtually all communities in the Orlu area and some rural communities in Okigwe were deserted as the residents fled for fear of attacks.

In the Orsu council area, the residents are still living in fear. Mostly, the traditional rulers have abandoned their subjects and relocated to Owerri and other urban cities because of threats to their lives. As of now, they are yet to fully return to their palaces; they have, however, been able in their little way to bring sanity to their communities, following the invasion of camps in their area by security operatives.

Last year, the monarchs and people of Orsu under the name Odinmma Orsu Initiative, led by Eze-Elect, Eze Ezekiel .I. Nwokedi, and Secretary, Barr. Remi Ezedioramma-Agwuezie, began to put heads together on how to restore sanity to the communities, but the situation is not yet calm and many of them have not returned to their communities.

Orsu residents still live in fear because of the presence of people they described as armed militia groups claiming to be members of the Eastern Security Network, ESN, an armed wing of IPOB, still operating in their forests. In Okigwe area, some of the residents who spoke to our correspondent said Okigwe town was safe, compared to other rural neighbouring communities such as Umualumoke, Aku, Gariki market, Ihube, Amagu, Amuro, among others.

Ikenna Nna, a resident of one of the affected communities, said: “We don’t sleep at night. We go to Okigwe town to sleep if you want to sleep. The shooting in the night is too much. Sometimes, you see these boys driving through our communities freely. Nobody can stop them.

“Once you start to hear gunshots, know that they are clashing with soldiers. If you don’t take cover you may be hit by stray bullets. So, this is our experience in this area. It is very unfortunate.”

According to a resident of Amuro and a community leader who did not want to be named, “we pray every day for God’s protection. These boys are living in the bushes of Okigwe doing all sorts of evil. ‘’They come to own, kidnap people and take them to their hideouts in the forests. So, it is time the military invaded all the forests in and around Okigwe to dislodge these boys. This is getting out of hand.” The insecurity in the Oguta area has been linked largely to the activities of oil bunkerers and supremacy battles among them.

A former chairman of Oguta Council Area, who pleaded anonymity, said: “The insecurity in our Oguta area is largely caused by those involved in the oil bunkering business. I have been a council chairman and we know some of these things.

‘’You see people struggling to be in control of the oil bunkering business because there is too much money in it.

Before you know it, they start killing one another. When you see one group defeat the other, those defeated will look for other things to do, like kidnapping, and stealing among other things.

“I am not saying we don’t have criminals in Oguta, but I am saying if you investigate, 90 per cent of the crimes started like this. Some areas like Ejemekwuru forest is dangerous.”

A community leader from Obudi-Agwa said: “Since our traditional ruler was killed, there has been tension in our community. What we experience now is terrible. The bad boys are operating with reckless abandon and intimidating everybody.

‘’I now live in Owerri, because of fear. Anytime you hear about killing, expect that there will be a reprisal attack.”

A lady, who gave her name as Julian Nnaukwu, noted: “In my own Agwa community, the insecurity there is too much. What we are seeing now are people who are carrying out revenge attacks. It is a bad situation. We only visit our community carefully to avoid attack.”

Orlu council area, though very volatile before, has been witnessing relative peace, according to a former President-General of one the communities in the area who now lives in Owerri metropolis.

His words: “Peace is gradually returning to Orlu but the area is still hot. There is still anxiety and people still live in fear. You open business in the morning and before 6 pm, you are already thinking of closing your shop. It was not like this before.

‘’The Orlu town we used to know was a bubbling town. It was full of commercial activities 24 hours a day. At that time, we did not have anything to do with Owerri. Now, things have changed; fears, killings, and attacks have pushed many of us away from Orlu. We pray that gradually, as peace is returning, let it be sustained.’’

Also, a trader in the Umuoma community, who introduced himself as Dee Raphael, noted that “businesses are not moving again. We are suffering and our businesses are dying. We need economic activities to return fully to Orlu town”.

In Awo-Omamma, residents lamented the negative effects of kidnapping. According to a motorcyclist, who simply gave his name as Ekwe, and who usually plied the road between Awo-Omamma and Oguta, “these boys come from the forests in Orsu area to Oguta and Awo-Omamma to launch attacks and go back to their base. Usually on Mondays, we are very careful because of the sit-at-home day as anything can happen. “So, we have decided to close early from work or you do not come out at all. This is very bad. It is destroying our businesses and people are suffering so much. We need help and somebody to rescue us.”

Imo State police command, through the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, said: “There is heavy deployment of security operatives, comprising of the armed forces, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and other security agencies, on confidence-building patrol and operation show-of-force across the length and breadth of Imo State.

‘’Also, intelligence-led operations are on-going in the state to flush out criminally-minded syndicates perpetrating violent crimes in the state.”

In its reaction, Imo State Government said it was doing a lot to tackle insecurity, including the donation of 32 operational vehicles and refurbished 11 Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, for security agencies in the state. The efforts, according to Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Chief Press Secretary, Oguike Nwachukwu, are aimed at supporting the security agents “to continue their efforts in the fight against crime and criminality and protect lives and property in the state.

“The repaired Armored Personnel Carriers and other vehicles will be deployed to the field for operations as a way to support the police in their determined efforts to reduce crime and criminality to the barest minimum in the society.’’

Enugu State

The situation is not different in Enugu State, as it has experienced and is still experiencing its share of kidnappings.

Enugu metropolis could be said to have witnessed some security relief since the Mbah administration but the outskirts, particularly the Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka road axis, Ituku Ozalla, Four-Corner-Udi road, Umumba and Mgbabgu Ìwa, and, indeed many communities in Ezeagu area council, are steadily,

witnessing kidnapping incidents, mainly by Fulani herdsmen.

Many communities in Ezeagu council are living in fear of kidnappers. Almost every week, their people are kidnapped, taken to bushes in the area, and made to pay ransom before being freed.

A recent victim in a trending video, lamented what the people of the area are constantly going through in the hands of kidnappers he alleged were Fulani herdsmen.

He said many kidnapped victims were inside the bush where they were kept, and the kidnappers were in four separate groups, adding that each of the members was fully armed with sophisticated weapons.

According to him, the leader of the group that held him boasted that they were just an advance group, that more would soon join them, and that they would take over the area.

“I think the security agencies in the state are not telling the governor the truth about the activities of these killer herdsmen. These people are dealing with Ndi Enugu, especially in Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo, and Uzo-Uwani axis.

‘’I advise the governor to probe more and, if possible set up alternative credible ways to get credible security information around the states. No doubt, some heads of the security agencies will be doing what we call “eye service”, a stakeholder from Ezeagu said.

For instance, Ugwuogo-Opi Nsukka road has become a notorious route where kidnapping and other violent criminal activities occur regularly.

Travelling along this very busy road is now a source of worry and fear to motorists and travellers because of the high criminal activities being witnessed on the road almost daily, even with the presence of many checkpoints manned by security agents mounted at short intervals along the road.

Despite this security presence, abductions have been taking place on the road, fuelling suspicion of security agent’s connivance with the kidnappers.

These numerous checkpoints mounted at strategic positions on the highway are manned by soldiers, policemen, and neighbourhood watch members, yet the kidnappers continuously block vehicles and abduct motorists and their passengers.

In June 2023, commercial drivers protested against the high rate of kidnapping on the route and threatened to withdraw from it. After the protest, on June 27, 2023, police paraded two suspects, identified as Sani Usman, 25 years, and Landi Usman, aged 30, both from Sokoto State, who were suspected to be among the kidnappers terrorizing travellers on Ugwuogo-Opi Nsukka road.