Varsity students flee over aborted military air raid in Anambra community

What would have passed for a bloody day was averted twice in the Uli community in the Ihiala local government area of Anambra State yesterday following the deployment of an air raid by the Nigerian Army over the killing of their colleagues by some unknown gunmen in the area.

A tense situation was averted following the intervention of a major sponsor of the war against insecurity in the locality, Dr ABC Ojiakor.
This is as students of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli Campus, fled the troubled area due to the deadly activities of the gunmen.
State governor, Chukwuma Soludo, had in a move to stem the series of security threats within Ihiala, Uli, and other adjoining areas in the area, set up a military base to tackle the activities of the unknown gunmen disrupting peace and progress in the council area.

Also, Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, has commenced border operations to give backing to the fight against unknown gunmen along the boundaries of the two states.

Ojiakor, while speaking during the Uli Peace and Security Summit last week, said that, “Following the attacks on soldiers and other uniformed officers, and men in our town, the soldiers had concluded arrangements for what looks like military bombing of the hideouts of these gunmen in our town on two occasions.”

He noted, “It is worrisome and frustrating that each time an Uli son is arrested I am called to help secure the release of those boys, the military commander would tell me that this is an act of respect for me and the leaders of the community if not they would have carried out a sustained military raid on my community.

“On two occasions, the soldiers had planned to carry out this operation. At some point, I had to speak with Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Senator Hope Uzodimma of Imo State to intervene in this situation, and that however, 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 our sister state, Imo, Senator Hope Uzodimma, as promised, 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.”

Ojiakor stated that the 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. He warned that “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 would come here to demand money, and our people will not do that.

“We would also confirm if the person in question has indeed changed his ways, and this is the duty of the leaders of the four quarters of the community to confirm.”

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Prof Osita Chiawunamuoke, at the meeting, confirmed the fleeing of students out of the town,  demanding for change of courses and the campus to the Igbariam to study Agriculture, as against their preferred disciplines.

He said, “Parents have been 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.”

According to him, “We had our matriculation recently, and both the students and their parents don’t want to study at the 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.