By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The insecurity ravaging Imo state under Governor Hope Uzodinma’s watch is not abating as the people of Okohia Autonomous Community in Osuh Owerri, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area (LGA) have come under constant attacks by criminal elements including armed robbers, kidnappers and hoodlums.
Prompt News can confirm that no day passes now in the town without a report of kidnapping of people, robbing and breaking into their homes to cart away their valuable properties.
The latest victim of the robbery attacks is veteran journalist Harry Awurumibe whose family house in Umunnuma village of Okohia autonomous community was looted by the criminals in the early hours of Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
According to the victim’s tenant, Donald Ikemba who lives in the compound with his in the family house located along the ever-busy Orlu-Anara- Umuahia road, the hoodlums jumped over the high wall before breaking through one of the back rooms after pulling down the iron protector.
The robbers who operated unchallenged went from room to room before breaking the victim’s master bedroom to force open the wardrobes to carry away every valuable they saw.
They also upturned some of the safes containing important documents including educational certificates of the family even as the other items removed are electronic gadgets and electrical materials.
Also, the house of Chief Victor Ogemdi, a cousin to the victim had his duplex adjacent to the compound of the journalist attacked the second time in one year with valuables carted away by the men of the underworld.
Aside Awurumibe, others who have within this week fallen victims of the robbery attacks in Okohia autonomous community are Mr. Okechukwu Nwosu whose house is about 100 meters away from the latest target and Chief Sunday Lebechi whose duplex was ransacked in the same manner.
Last week, Chief Francis Obijiaku and his wife Grace who were returning from a funeral service at Okporo, Orlu, were attacked by a band of kidnappers who cornered their Sienna bus at a bad portion of the Orlu-Anara- Umuahia road to rob them of their vehicle on gun point.
Chief Obijiaku and his wife managed to escape unhurt while others who fell victim to the same gang on the same Orlu road were shot at with some sustaining gun shot wounds.
Earlier, Sir Godson Festus’s country home in the same Okohia was raided and like the others,
properties worth millions of naira were carted away.
Sir Godson lamented that the community is constant being attacked without Nigeria Police formations located at nearby Anara bus terminal and Isiala Mbano Divisional Police Headquarters in Umuelemai unable to help the community stem the tide of armed robbery attacks.
Imo state has since become a lawless place as residents have been living under perpetual fears with the ubiquitous Unknown Gunmen (UGM) running riot across the three senatorial zones of the once peaceful state.
This is even as Governor Uzodinma virtually lives in Abuja and overseas from where he is running the affairs of the state.
He has been at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention at Eagle Square Abuja since last week in his capacity as the Chairman of one of the committees which facilitated the party’s presidential primary election won by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
