IPOB youths violently attack Obiano, insists no election in Anambra

Hundreds of young people, mostly boys and women alleged to be members of the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have again attacked Gov Willie Obiano during a church service at the St Joseph Church, Ekwulobia, in Aguata Council of the state.

An eye witness account said the governor had hardly settled down inside the church on arrival for the 9am service when some youths adorning Biafra insignias, badges and pin-ups who may have got wind that the governor would be there stormed the place.

They came in large numbers chanting Biafra solidarity songs and besieged the gate of the church premises shouting, “No election in Anambra State”, “No referendum, no election”, “we want referendum”, etc.

As their chants continued, their number also grew, advancing in droves towards the gate of the church, the governor’s security men rushed and locked up the entrance.

The witnesses who spoke to journalists noted that, “I think they were reinforcing from Onitsha. As their number continued to increase, the governor’s security  had to smuggle him out of the church.”

He observed also that “The governor was not smuggled out of the church. The issue was that the security men had to stop the agitators at the gate of the church, when they started shouting ‘no election, no election’

“The governor  even addressed the issue  while speaking to the congregation. He assured that there would be election in the state.

” He said nobody can’t stop election in Anambra state; the governor said most of the anti- election protesters are not from Anambra State.”

This episode makes it a second time the governor was being waylaid during a church service by these misguided and disgruntled elements. 

When contacted on the telephone, the Anambra Police Commissioner, Mr Garba Umar confirmed the incident, but warned that the police would no longer tolerate such impunity.

According to him, the intension of the protesters was to attack the governor. He therefore charged journalists to expose these things, saying, “You, press people should report this. We will no longer tolerate this impunity from anybody.

“Why should they protest to the church. The church is a place of worship; and not a place of protest. It is obvious that they had criminal intention to attack the governor.

” The police had to stop them at the gate. If they had dared my men; it would have been a different story. We can’t watch anybody breach public peace in this state. They should be warned to desist from this impunity, the Police boss emphasized.

Fortnight ago, some youths suspected to be members of the same IPOB allegedly disrupted a church programme at Odekpe, Ogbaru council of the state, attended by the governorship candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo.

They had also disrupted Gov Obiano’s public function in Onitsha South area then, shouting no election, no election. The governor, just like in this latest incident maintained level head.

The forthcoming Nov 18 governorship election scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in Anambra state for the election of a governor had remained a ding dong affair between citizens of the state and the IPOB who is populated by youth from outside Anamnra state.

Investigations revealed that IPOB believed that since Anambra remain the flagship of Igbo and holds strategic position in the Biafra struggle from the beginning, that any mishandling of Anambra affair in the struggle would have dire consequences.

When the Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Ogbuefi Tony Nnachetta was taken up on that, he waved it away as deserving no response so as to avoid giving the group any form of relevance. 

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