•Armed Fulani herdsmen
For the past few weeks, social media and conventional media have been awash with news of criminal activities including kidnapping, rape and even murder in some communities within Anambra State.
Some of the communities mentioned in this new trend of crime are Ukwulu in the Dunukifia Council area of the state, Nando, Awkuzu and other adjoining communities within Anambra North and central zones, reports Daily Sun.
Prominent among this new twist in the security situation in Anambra state according to victims have been kidnapping and raping of victims by their abductors and collecting ransom.
Though the Anambra State government vehemently denied the news of the kidnapping and other criminal activities which have further put pressure on the security architecture of the state, victims come up almost on a daily basis with fresh claims and evidence of their attack.
Though the identity of those behind the crime has not been clearly established, many victims who had encountered them insisted they were marauding Fulani herdsmen who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and other criminal activities.
One of the victims who pleaded anonymity and was the first person who raised the alarm after she was kidnapped alongside her husband and maid narrated her ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers.
She said “I am a native of Ukwulu, married to Nawgwu. On the 17th of April, 2024, we came back to celebrate the marriage of my daughter. As we were driving to Ukwulu through Abba Junction, after ELDI, we saw cows crossing the road and stopped. Immediately, the herders blocked the road and brought out guns and ordered us into the bush.
“They tied our hands behind us. They started beating us. Some farmers saw us and looked away. They did not help us. In the bush, they raped me and my maid in the presence of my husband every time without mercy. The third man tore my husband’s trousers and continued to rape him through the anus.
“They took our phones and ordered us to start calling our friends and family. They demanded 100 million for each of us or they will kill us. After 3 days in their captivity with serious rape, my maid became sick and was vomiting blood. My husband was dying as his anus was torn into pieces. My son-in-law raised N15 million and they directed him to Main Market Onitsha to buy cash. It is obvious the Fulani people are working with the money changers in Onitsha.”
The victims however called on Governor Soludo to immediately flush out the criminals from the state as they have devised another means of unleashing terror on the residents of the state.
“Your Excellency please save your people by having that bush surrounded by security people. Please chase out these evil cowmen from Anambra. Please stop them from wasting lives. Even as we were leaving, they brought two other boys. That bush is their base. Those boys would still be there now.”
Another victim, Linus Chukwuma also disclosed his near-death encounter in the hands of the gunmen in the bush in the state.
“Last week Friday, it happened that I was with my close friend and colleague named Tony Anigbobu in his Sienna alongside another of our female colleagues driving back home from the office which is less than 2 minute’s drive to the Abba/Ukpo junction. Unknown to us three hoodlums, (Fulanis), had perfected plans to attack us, they jumped out from the bush at Ukwulu, the leader with AK 47, the other two with a stick and matchet.
“The group leader flagged us down, and the two boys hurriedly jumped into our vehicle and dragged Tony and me out and straight inside the nearby forest. Meanwhile, I had already thrown away my phone inside the car before the criminal approached me.
“Then began our journey into the kidnappers’ den in the thick Ukwulu forests. We trudged for more than 30 minutes inside the forest before we stopped and were blindfolded with clothes and our hands tied as well. We were humiliated and beaten like common criminals and were asked not to shout or they would waste us. You can imagine the scenario?
“Unfortunately, one of them spotted my army-like coloured underwear and accused me of being a military personnel. Each turn I took to exonerate myself for being a soldier resulted in severe manhandling with a promise that they would waste my life even after collecting ransom. I kept begging them that I had never touched a gun in my life not to consider joining the military. All my pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Then around 8 pm on the same Friday, they moved us away from the forest to another location where we spent the first night in captivity. But before we slept, they asked Tony and me to call our family and friends to arrange for 60 million naira ransom each or they would use the money for our funerals. At that time I was devastated and in a state of shock that I didn’t remember any person’s phone number to call except my elder brother.
“But before I could get across to him, my good friend who has always been supportive and encouraging of my course, Mr. Kingsley Ubani had swiftly searched through my Facebook page and notified my brother. Upon calling my brother I told him the situation on the ground and asked him to see how we could raise the money so I could leave the unbearable thick forest where the hoodlums neither offered food nor water.
“Because I was not with my phone, I had limited contacts to place calls to and request for any form of assistance. I remembered speaking to Ubani and told him to inform my good friends Emeka Trice Obi and Stanley Ikenna Onwuchekwe to inform the duo of my ordeal.
“From that moment, Obi Trice, Ubani and my elder brother were constantly on the phone with me and even informed me about a platform which was created to financially rally in my stead. This is a gesture I’ll cherish till I breathe my last”
“These criminals will always tie my face and hands during the day and unite my face at dusk, while my hands were permanently tied during my days at the den. The emotional and psychological trauma can better be imagined than experienced and I cannot even wish my enemies what we passed through at the hands of these criminals.
In a swift reaction, Anambra State Government debunked the story of abduction and rape that allegedly occurred in Ukwulu, a town in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Soludo’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime in his Press release accused the opposition of stage-managing the rape and kidnap story to tarnish the image of the state government.
“In recent times, the state government has observed that certain individuals, motivated by political agendas, have persisted in spreading false and baseless stories in an attempt to undermine the peace and security enjoyed by Ndi Anambra and residents of our state.
“The trending story, which surfaced on various online platforms demanding the attention of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, was found to be another concocted narrative, void of credibility and substance and mischievously circulated to paint a scenario of insecurity within our peaceful state.
“The supposed female victim of the abduction, in her unsigned and poorly articulated tale, claimed to have been kidnapped alongside her husband and housemaid by Fulani herders near Abba Junction in Ukwulu community, where they were purportedly taken into the bush and endured days of heinous acts before being released upon payment of ransom.
“However, the traditional ruler of Ukwulu, Igwe Peter Anukwu Uyanwa, has unequivocally denounced the story of abduction and rape as patently false. He said that nothing of such happened in his community.
“Also, the Anambra State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, has confirmed that no such incident of abduction and rape has been reported or verified.
“Thus, the absence of a credible source and the denial from the traditional ruler of Ukwulu and state police command strongly indicate the malicious intent behind this fabricated story. It is evident that faceless individuals, driven by ulterior motives, have engaged in a false alarm to tarnish the image of our state and create unwarranted fear among our people.
“Anambra State, under the vigilant leadership of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Ndi Anambra, residents and visitors alike.
“The Governor urges the public to disregard the rampant fake news and baseless allegations by remaining vigilant against attempts to sow fear of insecurity within the state.”
Residents of the state have joined the victims in calling on Governor Soludo to act by flushing out criminals in the thick Ukwulu forest to save lives.
