Concerns as assassins unleash terror on Enugu, kill popular state figures

RAPHAEL EDE writes on the gruesome killings of prominent individuals by gunmen in Enugu, which has sparked fears in residents of the state

The recent killing of Chief Stephen Aniagu, Chairman of Ogbete Main Market Traders Association has sparked concerns over the safety and security of residents of Enugu State.

As tension continues to exacerbate, residents are now asking, “Is the killing of Aniagu the possible return of Enugu to the dark old days when human lives were wasted?”

At least six prominent and political leaders have been brutally assassinated in Enugu State capital in the last 20 months.
On September 14, precisely in the evening, Chairman of Ogbete Main Market Traders Association, Chief Stephen Aniagu, was murdered while on his way home after the close of business.

He was killed 7pm at Moses Ogbodo junction near Topland Market in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state.

His body was found with multiple bullet wounds while his car was missing.
Although, the motive behind the killing is unknown, one of the witnesses said, “We heard gunshots and ran for safety. When we emerged from hiding, we found his lifeless body on the ground.”

A day after his demise, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, while commiserating with Aniagu’s family, gave security agencies in the state 48 hours to fish out the killers of Aniagu, vowing that no one would commit such heinous crime in the state under his watch and go scot-free.

“In the meantime, I have directed security agencies in the state to produce his killers within 48 hours. As we have always maintained, and every merchant of death or criminal in the state ought to know by now, that we have demonstrated the capacity to bring them to book. We have the will, technology, and resources to pursue, track down, overtake, and defeat such workers of wickedness,” Mbah stated.

“Therefore, those who committed this atrocity have bitten more than they can chew. They have murdered sleep, hence neither they nor the government and security agencies will sleep until all the perpetrators are captured and justice served in accordance with the law sooner than later.

“I urge Ndi Enugu to go about their lawful businesses, for the security of lives and property remains our priority as a government. Those who have decided to test our resolve will meet their waterloo like others before them,” Mbah stated.

The Enugu State Police Command vowed to track down his killers in their usual old song.

The command, in a statement by its spokesman DSP Daniel Ndukwe, announced that it had begun a probe into the suspected murder of the late Aniagu.
Ndukwe said a preliminary investigation by the police revealed the armed assailants had waylaid Aniagu along the Amechi Road area of the state capital, shot at him and escaped with his car.

He added that upon receiving a report of the incident, policemen stormed the scene and took the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

The statement partly read, “The Enugu State Police Command operatives are on the trail of the armed assailants that shot and murdered the Chairman of Ogbete Main Market Traders Association, Enugu, Stephen Aniagu, at Topland, along Amechi Road, Enugu, around 8:20pm of September 14, 2024.

“A preliminary investigation reveals that the unknown armed hoodlums, operating in a Toyota Corolla car, double-crossed and shot the victim, making away with his blue-coloured Toyota Corolla car.

“He was taken to the hospital by police operatives who hastened to the scene but was confirmed dead by doctors. His corpse was deposited in the mortuary for preservation and further investigative actions,” the statement noted

According to the statement, a tactical team had been deployed to trail and arrest the suspects behind the killing of Aniagu, adding that the state commissioner had assured that justice would be served in the matter.

“The Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has ordered tactical squads of the Command that are on the trail of the assailants to deploy all the intelligence and operational resources at their disposal to hunt the criminals down.
“He also orders the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID to conduct a discreet investigation to unravel the circumstances of the incident.
“CP Kanayo assures the public that the police will leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book soonest,” the statement partly read.

Aniagu’s murder followed a similar trend in the state since late 2022, without security agencies holding anybody accountable for such crimes.

For instance, the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party for the Enugu East district and former Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Oji-River branch, Chief Oyibo Chukwu, was assassinated on 22 February 2023 at the same Amechi Awkunanaw suburb, on his way home from a campaign tour in Agbani, Nkanu West.

Instead of carrying a thorough investigation, the police rather found a convenient way and blamed the killing on ‘unknown gunmen’ but his kinsmen rejected the assertion. They insisted the killing was a premeditated political murder.

Till date, nobody has been held accountable for Chukwu’s gruesome murder as security agencies in the state allegedly refused to investigate the killing.

Those who first attempted to kill him during a campaign in Akwuke community and were arrested have been released by the police, according to Chukwu’s family members.
Checks also show that on April 26, 2023, shortly after the 2023 elections, the body of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Dons Udeh, was found dead in 9th Mile after he was abducted inside Enugu metropolis.

In mysterious circumstances the mobile phone of Udeh, who was a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the 2023 general election in Enugu State, was found in front of Ogui police station in Enugu metropolis.

After several protests by members of his community – Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area – demanding justice for the late Udeh, he was buried and forgotten.

Gunmen also gruesomely killed two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, including the state youth leader, Kelvin Ezeoha, on January 19, 2022.

The gunmen on masks invaded a meeting held by members of Ward 3 Obeagu Awkunanaw around 6.30pm on that fateful day, killing the two party chieftains.

Unfortunately, there has been no mention of these high-profile cases, which appears to be politically motivated, after their burials.

The question on the lips of  Enugu residents is “will the murder of Aniagu going to follow the same pattern or will the government and security agencies rise to the occasion and bring those involved in the killings to book?”
The President, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Olu Omotayo, said the current killings in the state showed that there’s a rising wave of insecurity in the state.  “If notable people can just be killed at random, it is now left for the state government to show that they are capable of protecting the citizens of the state because security and protection of lives and property is one of the basic necessities in a democracy. It is not just sharing rice, you must be able to protect lives and property of the citizens of the state,” Omotayo told The PUNCH.

“So the killings, all these unresolved killings, are highly condemnable. The purpose of the security vote earmarked to state governments is to ensure their states are secured but most of them (governors) are not using it for anything. So, the state government must live up to expectations, not just beefing up security around themselves in Government House. They should make sure that the lives and property of everybody in the state is guaranteed. And on the issue of all these unresolved killings, they should make sure that it is followed up and justice done to families of the deceased.”

Also, a former commissioner in the state and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ray Nnaji, condemned the resurgence of killings in the state, challenging the government to wake up and do what was necessary for peace to return to the state.

He said, “The killings are unfortunate, to the extent that the government seems not to have an answer to them. This is one killing too many. On a weekly basis we are getting bad news of reports that some people were killed – if not police it is government official or it will be some other persons, prominent persons in the society.

“I cannot understand why the governor, who actually promised to take care of security in the state, will allow such to exacerbate consistently to the extent that he has no answer to the problem because there has been no trace of murder or assassination. I learnt that in broad daylight a filing station belonging to him (governor) was almost set ablaze; incidental some vehicles that came to the station were not spared. Up till now, nothing has happened. So, I don’t know what to call it, the people are now living in fear, like it used to be in the past.

“Though there was a time the situation got really bad but certain governments came and took care of it, until now when nothing has been done. It is very unfortunate, I don’t know whether it is because the governor is not serious about it or he is unable to place certain gadgets and personnel to nip the planning in the board because there is no need to allow it to happen for you to start seeking for solutions.

“It was one of the things I advised initially, when he came and wanted to stop the sit-at-home order; it’s not an issue you solve with bravado.
“What he needs is to pay more attention on intelligence to get those behind it and nip the planning in the bud, even if it means have a dialogue with those people who are spearheading it. You don’t need to tell people that you have dialogued with them, what you need is good governance, a situation everybody will be happy going around without fear.”