Imo State Government has tightened Security in Orlu Local Government Area following the beheading of people in the area by suspected criminal gangs and native doctors on the prowl in the night hours.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Owerri.
He shortly said: “The State Government has tightened security in the area. You are aware that many of the attackers were killed and many of them arrested. Surveillance has been intensified in the area. The government has been liaising with stakeholders and we have been doing that even before now.”
Vanguard gathered that killings started in the area from the opposing camps on the issue surrounding the agitations for the actualization of the Biafra Republic.
According to some community sources who spoke to Vanguard on the grounds of anonymity said: “These people killing themselves are those who are in support of the Biafra Republic agenda and those who are opposed to the Biafra agitations in the community. So, they are killing themselves just to take over the land, nothing more or less.”’
But Youths have taken over the Security in Okporo and neighbouring Communities in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, where the beheading of persons have become almost a daily occurrence.
Vanguard investigation into the community in Orlu on Tuesday, saw the youths barricading in and out of the community and conducted a stop and search on motorists, commuters and motorcyclists driving into the community.
They said by blocking all entrance into their community that they wanted to identify those coming into the community and what mission they are coming to execute, adding that with this step that they could checkmate the killings in their community.
The youths who were looking disturbed said: “We are worried about what is happening in our community. We want to know those behind these killings and stop them.
“We have divided ourselves some people will be on duty in the morning and others in the night all this nonsense will stop. We are tired of it and cannot fold our hands and watch our people killed on a daily basis.
“The truth is that we confuse about who are the people doing these killings and cutting off of people head. So, we want to know better who are these people so that we can stop them.
However, Vanguard gathered that traditional Rulers have started meeting in Orlu Local Government Area to find a lasting solution to the killings in Orlu
When Vanguard called the Chairman Imo State traditional ruler and Community Policing, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, of Amaifeke Community in Orlu, he could not speak rather he said: “I am in a crucial meeting in my palace now.”
A community source who spoke to Vanguard said: “The traditional rulers are meeting in Orlu Local Government Area and other stakeholders. The meeting will involve everybody. The aim of the meeting is to end these killings in Orlu.
“It is giving our community a bad name and it is time to change it and let us have peace in Orlu again. By the end of this meeting, we will achieve peace in Orlu, with the monarch’s involvement and other stakeholders peace will return back.”
It should be recalled that the story of beheading people started last week in Orlu Local Government Area and so far the number of persons beheaded have gotten to about six in numbers that were after the violence that rocked the Orlu area between last Saturday and Sunday.
Credit}Vanguard News Nigeria