Again, over 100 women from the Ogwuaniocha community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Monday, marched round Onitsha and its environs to protest against “incessant killings, abductions and destructions of their husbands and sons” by opposition groups in their community.
The women, wielding placards with different inscriptions, marched round the community, claiming that the crisis in their community started as a result of kingship tussle.
They called on the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to come to their rescue to put an end to their current plight.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, their leader, Augustina Ejiofor, said, “My husband, Sunday Ejiofor, was abducted by some youths when we went to sympathise with a relation that was bitten by a snake.
“Also my husband’s brother was arrested by the same youths and is now at Awkuzu SARS. They did not commit any offence. The problem in the community is lgweship/oil revenue derivation. Our monarch, Igwe Okwudili Ogana, is now in detention, they started to attack him when he was installed as our monarch.
“We are pleading for the release of our abducted husbands and for them to stop killing our sons and destroying our property, we ran to camps where we have stayed for about three years without help and they are still coming to abduct us there daily.”
Also contributing, the wife of the rival traditional ruler of the community, Ebele Ogana, said, “They started attacking my husband after his installation. The government should come to our rescue because the intimidation is much.
“I urge Governor Soludo to prevail on the youth to release the husbands of those women and stop attacking us and killing our sons.”
In her reaction, ljeoma Elumeziegbo, whose husband, including her son-in-law was also abducted said she had not set her eyes on them since they were abducted a few weeks ago.
Elumeziegbo said, “At a point, our President-General, and the warring factions agreed that all abducted people should be released but the youth did not release our husbands and others they are holding till today.”
Another woman, Njideka Anene, who said her son, Uzodinma, was killed, cried to Soludo to come to the rescue of the people, adding that her 34-year-old son was killed in the camp when the pillar youths stormed it.
Another group of women of the Ogwuaniocha community had also protested about two weeks ago against insecurity, killings and abductions while accusing another faction of perpetrating the acts in their bid to control the resources in the community.
When contacted on the telephone, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the police were aware of the security issues in Ogwuaniocha and are already dealing with it.
