I had reported and aptly described the killing of some military personnels at Ekenobizi Umuahia, in the early hours of Tuesday November 12,2024 by the Unknown Gunmen as a "HEART-BREAKING NEWS"
It remains so as there may not be a better phrasal adjective to describe the taking of one's life by another no matter the provocation, especially if you factor in the ripple effects.
Life is sacred and should never be deliberately taken for any reason!
I am only imagining the pains being felt by the relatives of the slain officers and the Nigerian Military at large.
Consequently,the Onuimo-Ekenobizi axis of the Owerri-Umuahia road was closed by the military for one good week.
Drivers and commuters faced undue hardship in accessing Umuahia from Obowo and vice-versa.
The nearby Malaysia Market was seriously affected as the market that was characterised by a beehive of commercial activities witnessed a partial paralysis.
Soldiers were usually seen chasing people around.
Yours sincerely have had a personal experience.
This week Wednesday the road was reopened(and remains so) and people heaved some sigh of relief.
Unfortunately,the relief felt by the reopening of the market was short-lived as soldiers were seen chasing out traders and buyers from the market,ordering them to close down,shortly after.
This was as a result of an obnoxious report given to the army GOC who had come for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation,that those who killed and beheaded one of his men were camped in the market.
Since three days now,the market is as good as shutdown.
Commercial activities have been crippled in the market as buying and selling is now done with anxiety- not knowing what could be done to you if you're caught.
This accusation is both laughable and ludicrous!
Assuming,but without conceding that it is true,what makes anyone think that they will still be there?
As painful as it is to take life,it is equally painful to suffer for a crime you did not commit. It defeats logic to think that the killers are still there if at all there is their base, which I sincerely doubt.
If I'm not mistaking,the Ekenobizi incident is about the third time such a tragic incident is happening since Dr. Alex Otti as Abia State governor. Are the assailants in the other cases also camped in Malaysia market?
Even the Abia State governor himself had said;not once,not twice,that the security situation in his state is the handwork of opposition elements in Abia State and I'm inclined to agree with him.
I sense envy and deliberate attempt at mischievousness by whoever that gave this report against the siting of such a modern market at the borderline(near their state).
The truth remains that some Umuahia elements are not happy about that market because when the Umuahia Urban Market was closed by the T.A Orji administration,it was supposed to be Ubani Market and not Malaysia Market that the evacuated traders should have relocated to.
And obviously,the coming of Malaysia Market has greatly affected the Ubani Market(and continues to do so)from attaining its full designation as an international market.
They are out to undo Malaysia market in order to boost the commercial activities in and around Ubani Market not minding that the market houses more traders of Umuahia extraction than Obowo where it is situated.
Hence,why the Government of Imo State and the leaders of Obowo must save Onuimo market before it is too late.
People and households are already suffering as they can no longer buy groceries and other items.
Again,there are people who depend on their daily hustles in that market in order to eat and feed their families.
Besides,Yuletide is fast approaching!
On another note,venting their anger on innocent civilians has become the quickest response by the military and indeed other security organizations in our country whenever their men and officers are attacked,yet,the attacks have only exacerbated, unfortunately though.
Thus,if a tactic has refused to yield positive results,it is only normal it is reviewed and changed.
Therefore,this writer is of the humble opinion that this approach that only alienates and makes them dreaded by the civilian population that should help them in investigation in times like this should be looked into,and urgently too.
It is equally important for the military and other security agencies to seriously look into the aspect of Intelligence-gathering,in order to forestall this kind of ugly experiences.