Mr. Emeka Asoanya (a.k.a. War Machine) or “Gen” War Machine is Governor Willie Obiano’s current Caretaker Committee Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area.
He rose to brigandage and militancy during the Mbadinuju’s Administration through a splinter market association, named “ASMATA” and its allied propaganda and government image laundering.
He also featured militantly in the court-declared unlawful Government of Dr. Chris Ngige, leading to escalation of violence of alarming proportion in various markets in the State.
The militancy and other forms of violence reached their peak in 2005 at Ogbaru Main Market (Ogbaru Market Mayhem of 2005) during which at least 10 innocent citizens including Comrade Anthony Ezeh of Achina Community in Aguata Local Government Area were butchered in a broad day light.
In the said mayhem, Mr. Emeka Asoanya was strongly fingered. Some say, he earned his present nickname “War Machine” for his coordination artistry in the said State markets’ mayhem including that of Ogbaru Main Market of 2005.
One of the new entrants into Anambra’s list of killer-“generals” and violent market “leaders” is Mr. Okwudili Ezenwankwo (a.k.a. Ewepudike) or “Gen” Ewepudike. Barely ten years ago, he sold crayfish at Ose-Okwo-Odu Market in Onitsha.
A barely literate trader, he later joined “Anambra market politics” from his market union through a group called “Anambra State Market Elders Forum” or ASMEF (packaged as a market pressure group advocating for conduct of elections in Anambra Markets) and penetrated the then Administration of Mr. Peter Obi; from where he formed Anambra State Market Traders Association or AMATASS; an unelected and appointive central market association supported and promoted by the Obi Administration.
Having been raised and promoted during the Peter Obi administration, Mr. Okwudili Ezenwakwo or “Gen” Ewepudike gained access to government and security establishments and became artistic in market propaganda politics and group militancy.
Today, he has transmogrified into Obiano Government as one of its leading apologists and militant market “leaders”. “Gen” Ewepudike is presently believed by many Anambra political and market observers to be stupendously rich.
His home town of Nanka Community in Anambra State is already boiling with a litany of communal disputes including youth unrest and kingship tussle with his name being co-fingered.
He now addresses himself as “President of AMATAS”, President of “Southeast Traders Association” and President of Nigerian Traders Association”.
During the recent (2015 and 2016) nonviolent street protests and processions by the Indigenous People of Biafra and subsequent massacre of hundreds of its members and supporters; Mr. Okwudili Ezenwakwo or “Gen” Ewepudike and his arrangee market associations were contracted and suspected to have been sponsored by the Obiano Administration and Buhari led Federal Government to kick against the protests and processions of his unarmed and defenceless kinsmen and women through press conferences and campaigns of calumny.
Various security establishments in Anambra State are at the beck and call of “Gen” Ewepudike with which he does whatever he likes with impunity and reckless abandon.
Mr. Kenneth Okonkwor or “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor is another raging killer-“general” in Anambra State.
Before his appointment by Gov William Maduabuchukwu Obiano as “Managing Director and Superintendent General” of “Operation Clean & Healthy Anambra” (a.k.a. OCHA Brigade), he was Gov Obiano’s coordinator of Anambra Vigilante Service or central body supervising motley of street, market, community and State level armed vigilante groups in Anambra State, numbering about, if not over 1000.
Today, “Gen” Okonkwor is not only given access to all strategic security formations in the State organized under “Anambra State Joint Security Taskforce or JTF”, but he has also become an outlaw and untouchable; turning the State and its innocent citizens into nightmare and terror.
He is so reckless, militant and power drunk that he rolled out earlier this month bulldozers into Okpuno Ezi-Nkwelle in Nkwelle Ezunaka Community and Oba Community of Anambra State; backed by various security establishments including army, mobile and SARS police and embarked on extra judicial demolition of residential buildings belonging to innocent and hard-working citizens of the State.
Apart from claiming in a meeting observed by the leadership of Int’l Human Rights & Equity Defense Foundation (I-REF) led by Comrade Justus Ijeoma that “Gov Willie Obiano” mandated him to raise N2B for his forthcoming governorship election campaign”, “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor also embarked on random extortion of average of N200, 000 per building leading to forceful collection of N37M for him from about 186 buildings at Okpuno-Ezi-Nkwelle Estate alone.
The money forcefully raised was handed over to him personally, according to I-REF leadership.
Key executive members of the Estate’s Landlords Association were also arrested at the instance of “Gen” Kenneth Okonkwor and his “OCHA Brigade” and detained for days at the SSS State Directorate, Amawbia, Anambra State.
It took the intervention of Comrade Justus Ijeoma and his I-REF for them to be freed.
During the said demolition, those who paid the said bribes have their buildings spared and those who could not pay including widows and retirees have theirs demolished without valid court orders or pronouncements.
