Ebonyi Law Maker & His AK 47 Rifles

There are fears of violence and bloodshed in the coming elections in
Ebonyi state, as law enforcement agents uncover arms pillaging by
desperate politicians.

Ebonyi state police command, recently, recovered fifteen assault rifles from those suspected to be behind the protracted Ezza/Ezillo bloody clashes, and paraded 16 suspects including Chief Geoffrey Chukwu, pioneer chairman of the state branch of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), three traditional rulers, as well as an
officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the area, Joseph Amanga. The paramount rulers were listed as Ezes Christopher Ewa, Lawrence Akochi, and Basil Nwafor. (Photo shows Odefa Odefa, gun running member of Ebonyi state House of Assembly)

Ammunition displayed by the police in the course of the suspects’
parade in Abakiliki included an LMG Machine gun which, according to
Police Commissioner Emmanuel Ayeni, could load over a thousand
bullets. Other recovered dangerous weapons were seven G.3 rifles, a
LAR rifle, a SMG, three AK47 rifles, two LAR, rifle magazines, a toy
pistol, an axe, a sword and a cutlass. Ayeni disclosed that the
suspects themselves confirmed that it was prominent Ezza perspnalities
of the area who regularly met and donated money, in addition to
imposing levies on other Ezzas for the procurement of arms and
ammunitions among other things.

But the foregoing scenario seems like scratching the surface of the
story of the violence and mayhem that may signpost the council and
other forthcoming elections unless Chief Martin Elechi government and,
indeed, other security apparati in the state take urgent precautionary
measures to nip the imminent untoward situation in the bud.

Just recently, a member of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Odefa
Obasi Odefa, and his political cronies were nabbed with AK 47 rifles.
Hon. Odefa, in his reported confessional statement to the State
Security Services (SSS), admitted that he had in his possession 19
(Nineteen) AK 47 and Pump Action rifles out of which five were
recovered from his village home when the SSS operatives conducted a
search there.

A petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, dated April
31, 2010, and signed by Chris Eze Omukwu (Esq) of Chris Eze Omukwu &
Associates, Abakiliki, narrates several deadly outings of Hon.
Odefa-led killer gang in the area.

Stated the petition, ‘It is pertinent to remind you, Sir, on
the 9th April, 2010 at about 9 pm, a 16-man gang comprising Messrs
Odefa Obasi Odefa, Ali Odefa Obinna O. Odefa…stormed the premises of
Chief Elebe Nwekeye in Umualoke in Umungbala-Oshiri where a funeral
wake-keep was holding. The gang was armed with AK 47 riffles and other
kinds of guns. They sacked the funeral wake-keep and scattered the
crowd as they were rampaging the entire compound and shooting
sporadically.’

The petition added that the honorable member (Odefa Obasi Odefa)’s
killer gang, in the ensued pandemonium, pounced on one Chiadikaobi
Eze, tied him up, and dragged him on the ground to about 200
kilometers distance where Odefa himself was waiting for them. The
petitioner alleged that Hon. Odefa, immediately Chiadikobi Eze was
brought before him, drew a gun and shot him (Chiadikaobi Eze) on his
right leg.

The shocking aspect of this story is that not only that Odefa shot
Eze, he, subsequently, reportedly implicated him in a murder charge.
The magazine was told that nothing came out of the reports made to the
Coordinator of Oshiri Development Area for onward official report and
transmission to the police.

Part of the petition accused the law maker of being responsible for
the formation of a cult gang called the ‘Broom Fraternity’ which
allegedly uses to terrorize Oshiri community in particular and Onicha
council area in general.

‘This cult gang formed, financed and led by Messrs Odefa Obasi Odefa,
Ali Odefa, Obasi Nwode and Victor Obaji attend funerals and openly
display and shoot sophisticated guns like AK 47 rifles and pump action
guns.

‘During the burial of their grand mother on March 12/13, 2010 at their
residence at Oshiri, Messrs Odefa Obasi Odefa, Ali Odefa, Obinna
Odefa, Obasi Nwode, Victor Obaji and others openly used AK 47 rifles
to show off their newly-acquired intimidating fire-power over the
community. Their display of firepower was generously captured by their
own video of the burial ceremony’, the lawyer wrote.

According to the petition, ‘Hon. Odefa has already confessed to the
crime of illegal possession of and use of prohibited firearms,
admitted having 19 (Nineteen AK 47 rifles) and has even surrendered
some of them to the Department of State Security’.

Odefa’s accusers, also, cited several instances where his alleged 29
member-gang of the ‘Broom Fraternity’ storm burial ceremonies armed
with sophisticated weapons including AK 47 rifles. The petition added
that ‘the intimidation and brigandage of the Odefa family in Oshiri
since 2004 had actuated the community in 2006 to petition the office
of the Inspector-General of Police to come to their rescue’.

The petition, therefore, called on the IG to direct the arrest and
investigation of the honorable member, (Odefa Obasi Odefa), Ogbonnaya
Ogo and other mentioned persons for conspiracy and murder. Another
appeal to the IG hinged on the arrest of the accused legislator and
his cohorts for forming and operating an unlawful (cult) which has
unleashed a reign of terror, murders, violent activities and
gangsterism on otherwise innocent rural dwellers. Hon. Odefa and his
co-accused cultists, the people begged, should be arrested to explain
the source of their illegal acquisition, possession and use of
prohibited firearms of the caliber of AK 47 rifles or such other
firearms.

Rather than good reputation, it has been all knocks for Hon. Odefa
from the home front. A press statement by the people of Oshiri
enumerated several acts of terrorism which they claim to have
undergone in the hands of their law maker son and his ‘Broom
Confraternity’.

‘We like to use this opportunity to call the attention of the state
government to the political thuggery and terrorism of Hon. Odefa
against the people and Oshiri community. There is nobody in Onicha
Local Government Area who is not aware of the evil activities of Hon.
Odefa and his gang who have also gone into armed robbery. While we
seek the protection of the state government from Hon Odefa and his
thugs, we make it clear here that the maiming and destruction in
Oshiri by this group cannot continue’.

Oshiri people expressed shock that in spite of the weight of evidence
about the illegal possession of arms by Hon. Odefa and his ilk, they
are still walking the streets free, lamenting the indignation with
which security agencies (especially SSS) have ignored the video and
photo clips given to them showing Hon. Odefa, Hon. Obasi Nwode and
some members of the gang carrying AK 47 rifles. The SSS unfortunately
lost their grip on the ‘legislator cultist’ even in spite of the
confessional statements he (Hon. Odefa Obasi Odefa) was said to have
made on record.

The people thus called on Governor Elechi to immediately order the
arrest of Hon. Odefa and his cult members so as to stem the
replication of the Ezillo crisis in the area.

‘This situation must be nipped in the bud before it explodes because
this gang, which is behind the robbery and kidnapping in Onicha Local
Government Area and some parts of the state, has terrorized the area
enough. Also, the Governor is prayed to order the removal from office
of Hon. Obasi Nwode as the Chairman of Onicha Local Government. These
actions, when taken, will stem the kind of crisis that took place at
Ezillo and sustain the confidence of the people of Oshiri in the
ability of the government to protect lives and property’, Oshiri
community cries out.

The people, equally, called on the state House of Assembly to
immediately suspend Hon. Odefa and hand him over to the law
enforcement agents for prosecution as he has, according to them, by
all intents and purposes, shown that he is not worthy to continue as a
member of the House.

The petition, further, added: ‘He (Hon. Odefa and his brothers are
simply outlaws and should be arrested before they cause greater havoc
than they have wrecked on the community since 2004. Similarly, we urge
the PDP as a peace loving and security conscious party, to disqualify
Hon. Obasi Nwode from contesting the forth-coming local government
elections. Unless this is done, it will be understood that they are
deliberately harboring criminals in their fold for the purpose of
destabilizing the society’

Yet, another petition from the Chambers of Chris Eze Omukwu & Co to
the Ebonyi State Director of SSS fingered Hon. Odefa and his gang in
the gruesome murder of one Nwaji Egbe of Amaokpara-Oshiri in Onicha
Local Government Area of the state. Nwaji Egbe was, sometime, found
dead at a place called ‘Ogudu Ikele’ in Umungballa village in Oshiri.
However, Hon. Odefa, in a telephone interview with Insider Weekly,
denied the gun-running charges, retorting that all the allegations are
masterminded by his political enemies.

Further efforts by the magazine to get the legislator to, in a one on
one interview, respond to all the other accusations against him proved
fruitless, as he did not react to a text message sent to him to that
effect.

For now, peace or crisis in Ebonyi will depend on how effectively both
Elechi government and the law enforcement agencies handle the Oshiri
mayhem.

Culled from: Insider Weekly Magazine, Nigeria