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One Die As Youths Go On Rampage

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
June 13, 2003
Posted to the web June 13, 2003

By Chidi Nwokpara
Owerri
ONE person was feared dead while goods and property worth millions of naira
were burnt, as irate youths from Umuabazu and Eziudo, all in Lagwa autonomous
community, Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, engaged themselves
in a bloody clash over a traditional stool.
The two villages, according to Vanguard investigations have been at daggers-
drawn over a royal stool since the past two years, involving Chief Anthony
Elugwara from Umuabazu and Chief Cosmas Onyeneke from Eziudo.
Vanguard gathered that a 16 classroom block in a Commercial College, several
residential buildings, bags of rice and other food stuff, as well as
motorcycles and cash were destroyed. One of the contestants to the royal stool
Chief Elugwara alleged that the opposing village had in April this year,
vandalized an electric transformer which supplies public power to his village.
Answering another question, Chief Elugwara claimed that the current crisis
started about four o'clock in the evening of last Sunday, as a minor clash
between youths from the two warring villages, which later escalated to an
unimaginable and uncontrollable magnitude.
Attempts to reach the other contestant, Chief Cosmas Onyeneke in his home
failed, as he was said to have "travelled to Owerri, the state capital, because
of the ugly issue". When he was spotted Thursday afternoon at the State Police
Headquarters, Owerri, he was busy discussing the issue with the Assistant
Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Mr. Jonathan Udo. One of the
victims of the clash, Mr. Barnabas Iwuagwu, said that his motorcycle valued at
over N120,000 was snatched from him by irate youths, in his house, after
chasing him away with a staccato of gun shots.
Another victim and a shop owner, Mrs. Grace Odiole, claimed that she lost over
N58,000 cash to the rampaging youths, who struck shortly after she closed for
the day's business. Speaking also, another trader Mr. Ejim Njoku, not only
claimed that he lived in his store but also said he lost a staggering N1.4
million. Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Chairman, Transition
Committee, Aboh Mbaise local government area, Chief Goodness Amaefule,
confirmed that he had received official reports from the warring parties and
that he was making efforts to settle the issue among the parties.
When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner of police, Mr. Joseph Ibi, confirmed
the incident but quickly added that "the Divisional Police Officer in charge of
the area, is yet to send an official report on the issue to the headquarters.
Although he could not say if anybody had been arrested, Mr. Ibi however
disclosed that a detachment of mobile Policemen have been dispatched to the
disturbed area to keep the peace."

   

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