There was pandemonium on Wednesday at two motor parks close to the New Auto Spare parts Market, Nkpor along the Enugu/Onitsha in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State arising from heavy shootings from masked security operatives.
Eyewitnesses said the shootings, which started at about 1 p.m., caused a stampede at the market, as traders hurriedly locked their shops and ran for safety.
It was gathered that many people sustained varying degrees of injuries as they scampered to safety.
Sources said trouble began in the area when some security operatives on masks stormed the area and attempted to forcefully eject the people living near the Amafor Community, who claimed to be the bonafide owners of the land where the motor parks were sited and have been collecting revenues from the parks for both the community and Anambra State Government.
The shootings led to a protest by the villagers who carried placards with various inscriptions.
Chairman of Amafor Village, Nkpor, Sir Emmanuel Idemili, who spoke to journalists, said the federal ministry of works gave the community an authority to manage the two motor parks and collect revenues for the community and the state government which they have been doing.
Idemili claimed the masked security operatives stormed the parks on the directive of the former Chairman of Idemili North Local Government Transition Committee, Chief Raphael Nnabuife, who he said is also an indigene of Nkpor but not from Amafor village which owns the land where the parks are located.
He said, “We have been in charge of the parks, we got our permissions from the state government to generate revenue from the parks for the state government but what we saw today is very strange to us.
“Just this morning, I was at Awka on official assignment, when our men who are working at the parks called me and told me that masked security operatives stormed the parks under the flyover bridge and started shooting indiscriminately, ordering them to vacate the place immediately, and they took to their heels.
“The shootings and attack from the security men may have come from the former transition chairman of Idemili North Local Government Area Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Raphael Nnabuife because when he was the transition Committee chairman, he sacked us from the parks, telling us that the parks were owned and controlled by the State government and not the Amafor community.
“The men have been working under the cover of Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, to ensure that we are not working and collecting the revenue on behalf of the state government, because he claimed to have taken ownership of collection of revenue from the parks on behalf of the state government through his company Pugaty Investment.
“I was told that many people got injured during the stampede as a result of the heavy shootings of which I am yet to know if my men were involved as the shootings resulted in traders at Nkpor New Auto Spare Parks and Nkpor Relief Markets to immediately shut their shops and fled for their safety.”
When contacted, Nnabuufe who was accused of instigating their forceful ejection, denied involvement in the attack at the parks, saying that the sack may have come from the State government in collaboration with ANSIPPA as the parks are owned and controlled by the state government.
However when contacted also, the Executive Director of Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, Chief Mark Okoye confirmed that it was the State government that sacked the community members and not ANSIPPA.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said that he was not yet aware of the incident of the shootings as of the time of filing this report.
(PUNCH)
