CHUKA UBAH
It was a black Sunday in Umuchu town, Aguata Local Government area of Anambra State, on 8th January, 2023, as unknown gunmen attacked, razed down the Police Station and destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the bandits invaded the station by 3am, set the Police Station ablaze and ensured that the properties therein were destroyed before they left.
Those behind the dastardly act were yet to be identified but according to witnesses, the gunmen invaded the Police Station, poured some petrol and set it ablaze without any molestation from the security men within the town.
This was not the first time the gunmen had attacked the station, which was reconstructed recently by the community before they went there and destroyed all the efforts made so far to resuscitate the station.
The destruction of the station has not only caused panic in Umuchu town and its environs, the leadership of Umuchu as led by its President General, Sir Charles Ezenwabasili and the General Secretary, Dr Emma Maduakor, has described what happened as shocking and devastating.
In a press release titled lamentation for Umuchu town, they stated as follows:
“The good people of Umuchu town – Umuchu Alanso for that matter woke up this morning, 8th January, 2023, in disgust, occasioned by the bad news of the burning down of the Umuchu Police Station. It was the least envisaged, that our joy and gratitude to Almighty God for a quiet Christmas season and for ushering us into a New Year would be punctuated by this evil news of the act by evil people in our midst.”
“Permit me to voice out without equivocation that this dastardly, primitive, beastly and retrogressive act was perpetrated neither by people from the North nor the West, but by internal hoodlums. What rationale, gains, satisfaction or progress are there in this willful act of ruins?”
“A few months ago, the sound-proof generator mounted at the Umuchu Civic Centre for general good, was mysteriously, or by brazen impunity vamoosed from the scene. While spirited efforts are being deployed in its recovery, this most unholy act of razing down of our major security installation – the Umuchu Police Station by some prodigal imps came hitting.”
“Meanwhile, Umuchu people have spent fortunes upgrading facilities at the Police Station, searching for the stolen generating set, pestering the Police Authorities for the return of Police personnel to the station, even calling on the Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to help us out in this bid.”
“Umuchu, we are one step forward and two steps backward – Umuchu Alanso? We should wail for ourselves and our upcoming generation. Our neighbourhood communities are busy developing and upgrading their markets, and we are busy making a mess of what has been our little pride, thereby reducing our dear town to a laughing stock – Akwukwo ukpaka, in the comity of towns across Anambra State.”
“It is very unfortunate that while this UIURA is making efforts geared towards giving Umuchu a facelift, some miscreants and enemies of progress are working in direct opposite. It will never be well with people of bad omen. Umuchu people will not take it again, let us all arise, join hands, put a requiem to lawlessness, volunteer useful information as we go beserk with the process of unraveling and unmasking the faces of the enemies of our town. The leadership of Umuchu is poised to making this task a vital project and taking it to a logical and reassuring result. “
“By divine grace this class of UIURA must succeed.” the statement concluded.