The Anambra state police command have declared a lawyer, Ifeanyi
\nEjiofor, a member of the proscribed Indigenous People\u00a0 of Biafra (IPOB)
\nand his cohorts wanted over the alleged brutal murder of two police
\nofficers on Monday in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of
\nAnambra state.<\/p>\n
The Commissioner of Police in the state, John Abang made declaration in
\na state broadcast in Awka on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra Police Command, SP
\nHaruna Mohammed, had in a statement on Monday\u00a0 said two policemen died
\nin the clash between the police and IPOB members in Oraifite, while many
\nothers were injured.<\/p>\n
The statement reads, “On the 2\/12\/2019 at about 11:30 am, there was a
\nformal\u00a0 complaint against One Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor ‘m’ (a member of
\nthe proscribed IPOB) in Oraifite on alleged case of abduction, assault
\noccasioning harm and malicious damage to property.<\/p>\n
“Following the report, police patrol teams led by the Area Commander,
\nOraifite, ACP Oliver Abbey, mobilised and rushed to the scene in order
\nto arrest the suspect, who declined police invitation.<\/p>\n
“However, as soon as police arrived the house, armed men suspected to be
\nIPOB members, descended on the police, set ablaze one patrol vehicle and
\nattacked them with rifles and machetes. As a result of the attack, two
\npolice\u00a0 officers, whose identities are being withheld, were killed by
\nthe suspected IPOB members; while others were inflicted with machete
\ncuts. The injured personnel were rushed to the hospital for medical
\nattention and are presently receiving treatment.<\/p>\n
“Consequently, the command deployed reinforcements from the state
\nheadquarters, comprising of PMF, SARS and Special Anti Cult Units in
\nconjunction with the Army and other sister agencies, who cordoned off
\nthe area in order to fish out the culprits, while joint patrol are still
\nongoing in the town to prevent further breakdown of law and order.”<\/p>\n
The statement said some arrests were made in the community, even as the
\nCommissioner of Police, CP John Bassey Abang, who also visited the
\ncommunity, vowed to bring perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n
There was tension in Oraifite community\u00a0 since Monday after the bloody
\nclash between members of the IPOB, and Nigeria Police Force personnel in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
An unconfirmed source said\u00a0 the O\/C SARS in Ichi, Ekwusigo LGA, ASP
\nJoseph Akubo and the Area Commander of Oraifite, ACP Oliver Abbey died
\nin the fracas; while the Oraifite DPO and 15 others are hospitalised.<\/p>\n
The business activities were paralysed in the area, even as residents
\nwere sighted leaving the community in their numbers, because of the fear
\nof the unknown; as heavily armed police personnel laid siege of the
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
A source from the community said that a member of the town, one Mr
\nIfeanyi Ejiofor, a lawyer, who was suspected to be an IPOB member, was
\ninvited by police over allegations of abduction and assault, but when he
\nrefused to honour police invitation, police personnel went to his house
\nduring which the two groups clashed resulting into heavy casualties.<\/p>\n
“In the morning hours, we heard gunshots. We learnt that police invaded
\nthe house of our brother, Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, at Umunakwa Ifite
\nOraifite. We heard that police and IPOB members clashed, resulting in
\nthe death of police and IPOB members,” the source, which refused to
\ndisclose his identity, said.<\/p>\n
The traditional ruler of Oraifite community, Igwe Dr. Dan Udorji and the
\nPresident-General of Oraifite Improvement Union, Dr. Godson Okeke, were
\nsaid to be out of town. Several calls put across to them for their
\ncomments on the development were not answered.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary
\nin a statement on Tuesday condemned the unprovoked Nigeria police and
\narmy invasion of the home of its lawyer, Barr.\u00a0 Ifeanyi Ejiofor barely
\nfour days after the painful burial of his senior brother.<\/p>\n
“It is a proof that those running Nigeria have descended into the abyss
\nof iniquity from which they may never recover. Not even during the
\ndarkest days of Abacha’s dictatorship did anyone witness such brazen
\nintimidation of a legal counsel or the attempted assassination of a
\ndefence counsel in a high profile case.<\/p>\n
“It is the golden rule of every legal system under the Sun that defence
\ncounsels are not harassed, intimidated or killed.<\/p>\n
“We don’t expect the roundly docile and cowardly Nigeria Bar
\nAssociation or their impotent and subdued National Judicial Council to
\nrise up in condemnation of this contemptuous behaviour in this latest
\nattempt to kill Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor.<\/p>\n
“This level of dictatorial impunity against the rule of law, judicial
\nprocess and natural justice must not be condoned by any right thinking
\nperson.<\/p>\n
“For the police to say there was a criminal complaint against Barrister
\nEjiofor bothering on assault and kidnapping four days after the funeral
\nof his brother is laughable. Criminal complaint from who? Who did he
\nkidnap, the body of his dead brother?
\n.
\nPowerful said the Nigeria Police claimed two of their officers were
\nkilled by IPOB members but there were four dead bodies in the burnt out
\npolice vehicle.<\/p>\n
” Who are the other two victims, where did they come from and what were
\nthey doing in a police van?<\/p>\n
“The truth remains that Nigeria Police and Army went to the home of
\nBarrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor with the sole purpose to kill him before next
\nmonth’s court date as is now their tradition.<\/p>\n
“On getting there they opened fire on unarmed civilians as usual and the
\ntwo men that came out of the house were shot dead instantly. The police
\ncarried their dead and dying bodies into their van to conceal evidence
\nand drove off.<\/p>\n
“These are facts backed by evidence Anambra Police cannot deny.<\/p>\n
“After killing two unarmed and innocent civilians, before they left the
\npolice doused Barrister Ejiofor’s home with petrol and set it on fire.<\/p>\n
This was the reality yesterday in Oraifite Anambra State. It was the
\ncarelessness of the police in handling the petrol they used to drench
\nBarrister Ejiofor’s home and nearby businesses before setting them on
\nfire that trailed back and led to the fire that gutted their van.<\/p>\n
It is on record that IPOB remains a peaceful movement,” he said.<\/p>\n
Efforts made by our reporter to get the suspect, Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor,
\nfor his own side of the story was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
The Anambra state police command have declared a lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a member of the proscribed Indigenous People\u00a0 of Biafra (IPOB) and his cohorts wanted over the alleged brutal murder…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n