Ubah’s Attack and Renewed Fear of Insecurity in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke writes that there is a renewed fear over the state of security in Anambra State following recent attack on the convoy of a member of the National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah

Until last Sunday, the governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo may have already been thumbing his chest over his achievement in the area of flushing out criminal elements in the state. The attack came to all as a surprise because it came at a time when the state had been declared safe again.

Same last week, Anambra State Police Command had taken stock of its achievements in the state, and declared that the state was now safe. The state police commissioner, CP Echeng Echeng, who addressed officers of the command at the state police headquarters in Awka, during a visit of the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 13 police command, AIG Umar Muri, had said: “We have registered a lot of successes in the fight against criminals. Most of the successes wouldn’t have been possible without your (Muri’s) advice.

“Our security situation continues to improve everyday, and it will continue to improve day after day. Many of those criminals who were referred to as unknown gunmen have been arrested, many guns have been recovered and vehicles recovered and given to their owners. The unknown gunmen are now known. May I also seize this opportunity to tell you that the mastermind of the Okija attack on police has been picked up by police with three of his friends and are today giving us clues about their operations. We lost two men during that attack. The morale of our men have been restored. When we came on board, morale was low, but today morale is high and we are still building on it. We will continue to ensure that our men will go about their job without being harassed by miscreants,” Echeng had said.

To underscore the return of peace in the state, the command opened up access roads around the state police command to motorists and passersby. Roads around the state police command’s headquarters in Awka had been shut to motorists, following attacks on various police facilities during the very peak of insecurity in the state.

Since February 2021, security in Anambra State had deteriorated, with daily cases of killings of private individuals, politicians, government functionaries and security operatives alike. Facilities of government, including police stations, offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), local government secretariats, and many others were not spared.

Though there were fears that the attackers were members of the secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) the group distanced itself from the attacks.

On the other hand, the attackers grew brazen by the day. Sometimes they formally write to communities of their decision to attack them. They also mopped up arms bought by various communities for their vigilance groups, and even collected settlement fees before allowing anyone hold any function in communities. At some point, they also circulated messages  warning that carrying materials in one’s car which depicted politics in anyway was a sure way to invite death if they accosted such persons.

Not a few politicians were also attacked, and the activities of the criminals almost truncated the November 2021 governorship election, just as it successfully stopped campaigns in most parts of the state.

But upon the swearing in of Professor Chukwuma Soludo in March this year, he extended olive branch to the criminals with a deadline.

On the expiration of the deadline, the governor has been steadily smoking them out through the help of the security agencies, until recently, when the state was again deemed safe enough.

But last Sunday night’s attack on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah who represents Anambra South Senatorial zone has again heightened fear of insecurity in the state.

Ubah, a former governorship candidate and the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial zone is also recontesting for the position on the platform of Young Progressives Party (YPP).

He was returning to Nnewi from a function at about 7pm on Sunday, when some daredevil gunmen ambushed his convoy at Enugwu-Ukwu community in Njikoka Local Government Area.

Ubah in the attack was said to have lost about six police operatives attached to him, his personal assistant, his personal photographer and a driver. Another man who was identified as Onowu Nri, who though was not in the convoy was also shot dead. Several persons allegedly sustained injuries during the attack, but the Senator who rode in a bullet proof car escaped unhurt.

This has put a question mark on the safety of politicians and others in the state. Some prominent sons of the state who reacted to the news of the attack have called for a renewed resolve by the state government to sack all criminal elements in the state.

Some politicians including the Senator representing Anambra Central, Senator Uche Ekwunife; the member representing Nnewi South, Nnewi South Ekwusigo federal constituency, Hon Chris Azubogu and former governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, (APC), Senator Andy Uba, who condemned the attack called on Soludo to swiftly ensure the arrest of the culprit.

As a consequence of the attack, the state which was already recovering from the every Monday sit-at-home exercise totally relapsed.

Market, motor parks, streets, were totally deserted, just as many expressed new concern about security. The Monday preceding the Sunday of the attack saw a total lockdown. Though Mondays have remained largely a work free day in Anambra, but the state which was already recovering from the usual Monday sit at home experienced a renewed compliance. Many believed that the order of Tuesday for sit at home was fueled more in Anambra by the attack on Ubah.

Meanwhile, Governor Soludo, in a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, condemned the attack, while also assuring that the state government will give security agencies all the support, to ensure that the state is totally rid of criminals.

Aburime in the message said: “Governor Soludo has condemned in strong terms, the attack by yet-to-be identified gunmen on Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah’s convoy. Governor Soludo said government is fully determined to wipe out every act of criminality in the state. He reiterated that this is the last ditched-effort of a sinking boat by these criminal elements.”

Prominent individuals in the state have also condemned the attack and called on the governor to arrest the situation. Hon Chris Azubogu, a member of the house of representatives for Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ekwusigo federal constituency in his own reaction said the news of the attack came to him as a rude shock.

He sai: “Even more painful was the confirmation that some of his police escorts and aides lost their lives in that reprehensible and condemnable attack. With a heavy heart, I sincerely commiserate with the distinguished Senator; the families of his late aides and the entire Police Community over the lives lost during the attack. I’m confident, in the face of assurances by Mr. Governor, that security agencies will fish out the perpetrators of the barbaric attack and bring them to book.”

On her part, Senator Uche Ekwunife, representing Anambra Central expressed shock, while condemning the incident.

She described it as unimaginable. “My sincere condolences go to the families who lost their loved ones in the senseless carnage.Government must leave no stone unturned in arresting the security situation in our state and ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice.”