Imo: Danger In Ignoring And Disregarding Lingering Insecurity

OGU BUNDU NWADIKE, M.A

Anybody who says that there’s safety and security to lives and property in Imo State is a liar. Don’t mind him. The State isn’t safe and the people aren’t secure at all . Ndimo still live with their hearts in their mouths, and they sleep with two eyes maturely open.

It’s now a matter of a people surrounded by enemies, who must necessarily keep sustainable watch over their lives and abodes. Just as there’s no governor or government in Imo State, there’s no Chief Security Officer. In various ways, insecurity reigns unhindered!

Imo State under the watch of Senator Hope Uzodimma is simply held under systemic siege by strange bestial elements who the massively threatened innocent Imolites describe as “unknown gunmen, for fear of molestation, hurt and harm by the known gunmen”!

The sad and unfortunate thing about the uncharacteristic insecurity in Imo State is that Uzodimma theoretically hasn’t any solution, and practically doesn’t do anything about it, in spite of his being the supposed Chief Security Officer of the State.

Ironically, Uzodimma treats the worrisome insecurity in Imo State with kid gloves. He arrogantly and disrespectfully ignores and disregards the palpable fears and fumes of Ndimo over the precarious situation of lack of safety and security to lives and property in the State.

The Trans Orie Okporo trade market has in recent times been booming with the trade in fresh human heads. Nowadays, each day dawns with fresh human heads displayed on tables meant the roasted heads of goats at Orie Okporo!

The brains behind the beastly waste of lives in the Orlu area of the State may be known or unknown, but the real trouble is that Uzodimma doesn’t care a hoot, whether or not Orlu burns to ashes and goes to blazes.

If he does, he should be showing verifiable concern and care, sympathy and empathy for the severe trauma and opprobrium that Ndimo in Orlu zone have been suffering in the hands of the joint forces of known and unknown gunmen. But alas Uzodimma doesn’t care!

Some serious views have been expressed that Uzodimma has been retaliating and revenging his rejection in 2019 governorship election by Ndimo and particularly Orlu zone, by looking the other way and seemingly intoning “don’t mind dem” and “Dem never see something” at those that remind him that Orlu area, including Omuma and Oru East Local Government Area (LGA) is at war!

We must remind that Uzodimma was shamed and disgraced in the 2019 gubers when he was colossally and comprehensively defeated in his Omuma and Oru East LGA turf and stronghold! Yes! Uzodimma failed even in his Oru East LGA!

On Easter Monday, April 5, 2021 some alleged unknown gunmen attacked the headquarters of the Nigeria Police, Imo State Command and the Nigeria Prisons, causing massive destruction to public property and setting free about 2000 prison inmates. Uzodimma, who was in faraway Abuja, said nothing and did nothing!

When Uzodimma’s country home in Omuma was sadly and unfortunately attacked by unknown gunmen, he was out there in Abuja rocking and rolling with wives of soldiers under the aegis of Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA). Till date Uzodimma said nothing and did nothing about that incontrovertible evidence of intractable insecurity in the State.

Thereafter, a man called Ikonso, said to be a chieftain of IPOB and ESN was reportedly assassinated in cold blood in his home in Oru East where Uzodimma hails from, with his house set ablaze. Uzodimma said nothing and did nothing.

Since then, Orie Okporo in Orlu LGA has been turned into a daily market for fresh bloody human heads. Uzodimma said nothing and did nothing.

Njaba Police Station was reportedly attacked just not long after Omuma Police Station was reportedly attacked, with lives and property heavily lost. Uzodimma said nothing and did nothing.

On Monday, August 9, 2021 at Mbaise area of Owerri zone in Imo State, lives and property were torched and burnt to ashes by persons said to be unknown gunmen, who were reportedly enforcing the “sit-at-home” order by the IPOB. Uzodimma has said nothing and has done nothing. The list of instances of insecurity is long and getting longer by the day!

In all zones of Imo State, but particularly in the Orlu areas, large numbers of Imo youths, men and women have been reportedly arrested by the Uzodimma military in the name of cleansing Imo of IPOB and ESN agitators for Biafra and are never seen or heard from again after their abduction by known gunmen!

Sadly and unfortunately, Uzodimma says nothing and does nothing in the face of the mounting insecurity in Imo. Rather, he ignores and disregards all the dehumanization, displacement and decimation of citizens by the joint forces of the known and unknown gunmen.

Pundits now worry what it is that will happen in Imo State to be able to push Uzodimma to start addressing in words and deeds the lingering and worsening insecurity in Imo State.

Will Uzodimma say and do something when the entire population of Imo State is confirmed exterminated by the guns and fires of known and unknown gunmen? Will Uzodimma say or do something when he gets a reliable conformation that entire Imo people have been arrested by known gunmen and forcefully taken away to places and points of no return?

Only true Imolites can answer those questions correctly. And their answers will be as true and correct as ours. We work, wait and watch! The world too is waiting and watching!

By God’s grace, Imo State must be rebuilt!!