*Gov Uzodimma imposes curfew in 10 LGAs
*Indigenes, Travellers, stranded
By Emeka Alex Duru, Editor
The otherwise, tranquil Orlu Local Government Council, Imo State and adjoining communities, had their peace shattered, on Monday, January 25, 2021, following bloody clashes between security agents and suspected militants. Many were reported dead and/or wounded in the fracas.
In a move to check the spiraling tension, the governor, Hope Uzodimma, in a broadcast, imposed a dusk to dawn curfew (6 pm to 6 am) in the following Local Government Areas of Orlu zone; namely; Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ideato North, Ideato South, Njaba, Isu, Nwangele and Nkwerre. The curfew which took immediate effect, saw indigenes and travelers to the affected communities, stranded.
The Monday episode is the latest in the series of crises that had rocked Orlu, lately, the first being in the wake of the #EndSars# protests that saw government buildings and properties vandalized by hoodlums that hijacked the exercise.
Various accounts of the Monday mayhem, claimed that the shoot-out was a carry-over of last week’s face-off between some unidentified militants and security agents in the city. Chidi Ogbuehi, an Orlu indigene, told our correspondent that the crises left many dead and more injured in the ensuing confusion. “It was like in a war situation. We were terrified by the staccato of gunfire by both the soldiers and the militants. Some were knocked down by vehicles in the midst of the confusion, others hit by stray bullets.
A Local Government personnel who pleaded anonymity, blamed the violence on failure of intelligence by the government and responsible agencies. According to him, the signs of the clash had been around since last week but nothing was done to avert it. Many residential buildings and business premises, he said, were destroyed.
Gov Uzodimma, in confirming the crisis, admitted receiving a very disturbing report on the activities of a group of Militants who unleashed a shooting spree in the Orlu area of the state, killing and maiming innocent citizen in the process, earlier in the day. H expressed displeasure at the situation, which he said, appears to paint a picture of near breakdown of law and order in the Orlu area. “The government condemns in its entirety this act of extreme hooliganism and brigandage. This is completely unacceptable to this administration”, he stressed.
Uzodimma vowed that those behind the callous act will surely regret their actions. He added, “I have directed the security agencies to fish out without fail, all those behind the carnage and immediately bring them to book. Let no one be in any doubt that the perpetrators of this dastardly act will ever escape justice. I assure them that they will pay for their cruelty against a peace loving, innocent people
“As an interim measure to immediately restore the peace in Orlu zone, a dusk to dawn curfew (6 pm to 6 am) is hereby imposed in the following Local Government Areas of Orlu zone; namely; Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ideato North, Ideato South, Njaba, Isu, Nwangele and Nkwerre.
“All law-abiding citizens are advised to comply strictly with the curfew as announced. Anyone caught violating the curfew will be treated as a suspect”.
Uzodimma stressed that security operatives have been deployed on a 24-hour patrol of the zone, adding that every security measure necessary has been put in place to ensure that law-abiding citizens can go about their businesses in the affected areas without any fear of molestation.
The curfew is taking huge effects on residents of the communities and travelers caught unawares by the crisis. Uzochukwu Ofonagoro, who was travelling to his Amaigbo hometown from Lagos, lamented that he and his fellow passengers had been stranded in Ihiala, Anambra State, in a bid to avoid being caught in the curfew at the Imo end. Night travellers from or to Owerri, Aba, Umuahia, Uyo, Calabar, Port Harcourt, and other parts of the South-South region passing through Imo are equally affected by the development.
