Bloodbath in Anambra as town union factions clash

Posted by admin Anambra, South-East, State News Sunday, February 5th, 2012

February 5, 2012 by EMMANUEL OBE

About 10 people were severely injured on Saturday, when thugs from rival factions of the Nkpor town union clashed over the collection of levies from traders at the Nkpor Main Market in Idemili North Local Government Area.

The thugs freely used firearms and machetes on themselves as traders scampered to safety, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered.

The peace of the town has been disrupted for several years following disagreements over the leadership of the town union.

Witnesses to the Saturday clash said the violent clash occurred when a group of boys armed with guns, machetes and clubs attacked revenue collectors from the new caretaker committee of the town union at the Nkpor main market.

The Chairman of the town union’s caretaker committee, Mr. Chuma Chukwurah, told reporters that the crisis in the community was caused by the refusal of the former caretaker committee, led by Mr. Raphael Nnabuife to leave office after the expiration of their tenure.

He said Nnabuife, who is also the Transition Committee Chairman of Idemilli North Local Government, “has continued to frustrate all efforts to settle the leadership crisis in the town because of the huge revenue they were raising from the markets and other businesses in the community.”

Chukwurah said, “The other faction who are bent on frustrating all genuine efforts by the community to achieve peace went to the market and drove our people who were collecting revenue from the market.”

But Nnabuife said the group claiming to be caretaker committee of the community was not recognised by the leadership of the community or government. He described them as a “group of bandits who have been troubling the peace of the community for a very long time.”

He confirmed that although the tenure of his administration had expired late last year, he was reappointed to continue for another three months when the union’s election was disrupted last year by the same group of people.

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, however told our correspondent that he had yet to be briefed about the incident.

-Punchwp_posts