We lecturers before now stay till late in the evening enjoying ourselves at any of the relaxation centers but today immediately it is 4pm everyone would take off to another town due to insecurity and the economy of Uli community has continued to go down
Maduako Igbokwe I Monday, May 1, 2023
ULI, Ihiala, Anambra – Students of Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Uli in Ihiala local government, campus Anambra state are fleeing the area due to the deadly activities of gunmen.
Meanwhile, planned military raid by the Nigerian Army over killing of colleagues by the gunmen was averted twice in Uli community in Ihiala following the intervention of Dr ABC Ojiakor,the chairman of Seplat oil, a major sponsor of the war against insecurity in the area.
However Gov Charles Soludo in a bid to tame the security threats in the town established a Military Base in the town in partnership with the Imo state governor Sen Hope Uzodimma .
The military base has commenced border operations to back up the fight against unknown gunmen along the boundary of the two states.
Speaking at the Uli Peace Security Summit, Dr. ABC Ojiakor said following the attacks on soldiers and other uniformed officers and men in the town , soldiers had concluded arrangements for what looks like military bombing of the hide outs of these gunmen in our town on two occasions
“It is worrisome and frustrating that each time an Uli son is arrested I am called to help secure the release of those boys and the military commander would tell me that this is an act of respect for me and the leaders of the community. The will say ,if not me they would have carried out a sustained military raid on my community and on two occasions the soldiers had planned to carry out this operation”
“At some point I had to speak with Gov Charles Soludo and Sen Hope Uzodimma of Imo state to intervene in this situation and that had led to the establishment of a Military Base in our town Uli which has to a great extent put the activities of these criminals on check”
“The governor of Imo state Sen Hope Uzodimma has commenced sustained border operations against these miscreants who are on the other side which had also resulted in the success story that we have at the moment” he said. Ojiakor also noted that Uli community is not ready to give money to anyone who claims to be a gunman in the bush contending that if any of them comes out to denounce his status and hand over his weapon he would be given amnesty.
“We are not prepared to negotiate with criminals or these terrorists because, if you do so, you are empowering them and their members in other towns to come out to demand for money and our people will not do that. We would also confirm if the person in question have indeed changed his ways and this is the duty of the leaders of the four quarters of the community to confirm” he said
Deputy Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Prof Osita Chiawunamuoke at the meeting confirmed the fleeing of students out of the town demanding for a change of course and campus to Igbariam to study Agriculture as against their preferred discipline.
“Parents have been coming, asking us to transfer their children to our Igbariam campus and they have chosen to study Agriculture, a course that most students don’t want to study”
“We had our matriculation recently and both the students and their parents don’t want to study in Uli campus but they want to go to Igbariam where they can be safe and this is as a result of the activities of these people in the community”
“Even a daughter of this community who works at the security department of the university came to me last time crying and told me that their family houses have been burnt down by gunmen and that she wants a transfer to Awka and I have transferred her but she now pays N250, 000 as house rent but before the incident she goes to work from her family house ”
“We lecturers before now stay till late in the evening enjoying ourselves at any of the relaxation centers but today immediately it is 4pm everyone would take off to another town due to insecurity and the economy of Uli community has continued to go down. But with the establishment of the Military Base in Uli by Gov Charles Soludo things appear to be taking shape and this security summit that took place today is a step in the right direction” he said.
According to the resolution at the end of the summit the community said that it would commence census of those killed as well as buildings burnt and those who cannot be found.
“Quarter Unions, council of Chiefs would provide statistics of all the properties destroyed in their quarters, list of missing persons or killed or in detention from their quarters with pictorial evidence and proposals on granting pardon to those who are willing to drop their arms and embrace peace”
“All these must be documented and each group will choose those that shall speak for them up to a maximum of three persons as well as delivering of resolutions and communique including the provision of mitigation means such as amnesty and conditions for such ” it stated.
