Punch reports:
Leaders of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, the apex socio-political body of the Igbos, narrowly escaped death on
Friday when a trigger happy policeman opened fire at the National Secretariat
of the organisation in Enugu.
Our correspondent
learnt that the incident was caused by leadership tussle between rival factions
of the Ohanaeze Youth Council.
The President General
of the organisation, Chief Gary Igariwey and other Ohanaeze leaders, including
the National Secretary, Dr Joe Nwaorgu, were at the secretariat for a National
Executive Committee meeting of the body when the incident occurred.
Leaders of the youth
wing were also at the meeting.
However, trouble
started when the National Publicity Secretary of the youth wing, Obinna Adibe,
who belonged to the Arthur Okafor faction, came with some plain clothes
policemen from the Enugu Area Command to arrest one of the youth leaders, Alex
Okemiri.
Adibe had, in a
petition to the Enugu Area Command, accused Okemiri, who belonged to the
faction of the National President, Mazi Ikechukwu Isiguzoro, of impersonating
him in text messages he circulated to summon a meeting.
As the policemen were
dragging Okemiri into a waiting vehicle, some officials of Ohanaeze Ndigbo
moved to intervene.
Plea by the Ohanaeze
officials fell on deaf ears, as the policemen insisted on taking Okemiri away.
But the matter took a
sinister turn when a policeman attached to one of the Ohanaeze officials shut
at the gates of the secretariat, raised his rifle and fired into the air.
The sound of the
gunshot sent the Ohanaeze leaders scampering for safety.
Afterwards, Igariwey
moved to broker peace between the warring factions of the youth wing.
The policemen
eventually left without Okemiri, after Igariwey pleaded with Adibe to allow the
Ohanaeze leadership to resolve the crisis.
However, it was
gathered that the policeman that released the bullet was reprimanded.
The meeting, which was
ongoing as of the time of filing this report, was expected to deliberate on the
report of a panel set up by the Ohanaeze leadership to resolve the crisis in
the youth wing of the organisation.
Earlier, before the
commencement of the meeting, members of the Okafor faction had attempted to
stop the National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Mazi Isiguzoro, from
entering the venue.
When contacted, the
spokesman, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said the incident
was yet to be reported.
He promised to get back
to our correspondent.
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