Anambra Community Protests Death of Five in Revenue Collectors’ Invasion

Landlords and residents of Okpoko community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State said they were presently living in fear over incessant midnight raids on their homes, allegedly by operatives of the state’s Anti-Tout Squad. They claimed that the operatives, armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, had in the last two weeks, been raiding their various homes in the middle of the night in a bid to forcefully enforce payment of revenues for the Anambra State Waste Management Authority and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Authority.

About five persons were reportedly killed last Thursday, along the Obodoukwu Junction, near Okpoko community, when stray bullets from the operatives of the Anambra State Anti-Touts Agency, allegedly hit them, while some youths were protesting the ‘imposition of illegal levies’ on the community by the operatives. Sources in the area had told South-East PUNCH that the anti-touts operatives opened fire on the protesting youths, and were shooting sporadically in an effort to scare the protesters. The police confirmed the killings and evacuated and deposited the corpses in the morgue.

Speaking to South-East PUNCH on the development on Wednesday, the Secretary, Okpoko Community Development Union, Chief Raphael Agu, said in the process, no fewer than five persons, including a young man, who had just completed his mandatory National Youths Service Corps, have been killed and several others injured in the fracas that always ensued whenever the anti-tout operatives storm the area. Agu, who spoke on behalf of the landlords and residents, and was flanked by other members of the community’s union executive, said as a result of the development, the community has submitted a petition, titled: ‘Re: Complaint of Commission of Criminal Offences to wit, Murder, Abduction/Kidnapping, Shooting/Killing of Innocent Residents by Anambra State Anti-Touts Group,’ to the state Commissioner of Police, on December 10, 2023.

He said the petition was written by the Concerned Residence Landlords/Association of Okpoko Property Owners and the chairmen of all the streets in Okpoko community, in collaboration with the state’s Human Rights Guide Association. They informed that similar petition had also been written and sent to the state police command on November 10, 2023, which the police had failed to act upon. The group is therefore asking the police to investigate the current activities of the anti-touts agency, the killings they have perpetrated in the community and the whisking away of many landlords in the area every night. They also revealed that landlords who have fallen victims are those opposed to their illegal activities in the community.

Agu, also the Chairman of Anambra Human Rights Guide Association, however, fingered the state Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, ANSEPA/ASWAMA contractor, Emeka Asoanya and some other community members, whose names were withheld, as those behind the crisis. Calling for the sacking of the government officials alleged to be involved in the ongoing development in the community, the landlords said trouble began when they refused to continue the payment of “numerous and incessant illegal levies” imposed on them by the ASWAMA contractor, particularly the 2020/2021 ASWAMA levy, which they said has been paid off by the precious administration of the state.

He said, “We are being forced to pay a lot of illegal levies by the ASWAMA/ANSEPA, particularly the 2020/2021 levy, which the previous administration has settled. There is also a pending suit at the court stopping them from collecting such levies, which they have continuously flouted and creating pandemonium in the community.

“ASWAMA/ANSEPA have employed all ‘evil’ means of recovering the waste levy by using the anti-tout operatives who always storm our various houses at midnight. The anti-tout squad always target the house of any landlord who opposes their illegal activities. This is what brought about all these problems, where innocent residents have been killed and some of us taken away to unknown destinations. “The anti-tout operatives, armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, have been going to the various homes of any landlord who opposes the collection of these illegal levies by ASWAMA/ANSEPA, beating them up, after which they whisked them away. Whenever they are coming, they block all the entrances leading to the community so as to prevent anyone from escaping. They perfected their evil plans on my residence on December 7, when they came at exactly 12:30am. I suddenly heard a loud hit on the gate of my residence at Gbuhemobi Street, Okpoko, they damaged the iron rods of the gate. They were about eight and masked their faces, they break into my living room and were using their torchlights to search the whole place. When they saw me, they asked me, ‘Are you Chief Raphael Agu?’ I said ‘yes’. They immediately dragged me out and started beating me and took me away; in front of my building, I saw about six Hummer Toyota buses, inscribed with ‘Anti-Tout, Anambra State.’ I also saw one Lexus 470 jeep driven by their General Commander. “They took me in their vehicle as they were going from house to house to fetch other landlords. When they carried me into the particular bus they dumped me, I saw a man they tied his face with their apron jacket, whom I later discovered to be the Okpoko Youths Secretary, Mr Obum Ohiagu. “The anti-touts drove us to the house of the chairman of the community at Ejirika Street, where they caught him half naked in his bedroom, like myself. They also went to many other places to pick other members. They were doing this with their group of pointers who were showing them the houses to go. We were finally taken to the Anambra State Anti-Touts office at Upper Iweka Triangle at about 7:30am, where they kept us in a black marina cage lorry. When one of their commanders arrived, he told us that the state government has given them the license to kill anyone who opposes revenue collections. They said we in Okpoko need to be taught lesson we cannot forget. “I recognise the anti-tout operatives who carried out these acts and can identify them when called upon to do so. It was one very influential person in the state who heard about the incident that came to our rescue by paying them a heavy amount of money when he visited their office before we were set free. It was after our release that we headed straight to the Okpoko Divisional Police to make entry before DPO Ugochukwu Ugbo, that we discovered that youths in the community have already stormed the police station to demonstrate their annoyance against the unlawful arrests and abduction of leaders of the community.

While the DPO was addressing the aggrieved youths, the Anti-Touts operatives stormed the police station and started shooting sporadically, even before the DPO and while the DPO was trying to stop them from shooting, they ignored and continued until they shot and killed four persons, matcheted and wounded several others who are lying critically ill at the hospitals. While the corpses of the dead, including a youth who just finished his NYSC, have been deposited at the morgue. The graduate was just at the balcony of their compound when the stray bullet felled him. The current situation in our community is that these anti-touts have thrown us into panic and many people have fled. These operatives who have acted lawlessly and caused this havoc on the community must be brought to book. We shall feed the law enforcement agency with information and evidences on demand, where necessary.”

Also corroborating, the Okpoko Youths Secretary, Obum Ohiagu, said their refusal to pay the 2020/2021 ASWAMA/ANSEPA levy, which has been offsetted by the previous administration and other illegal levies imposed on them is fuelling the crisis in the community, which made the agencies to employ the anti-tout operatives in enforcing payment. On December 7, the anti-tout operatives broke into my house. They did not allow me to get dressed, they tied my face with their apron jacket, removed the N194,000 I kept under the table which I wanted to pay some people the following morning.

 “They whisked me away in their vehicle and as we were going, I was listening to their conversation, where one of them advised that I should be taken back to their office since the community was already aware of their operations. That was when they made a U-turn and took me back to their office at Upper Iweka. The issue is that we are kicking against the ASWAMA/ANSEPA illegal levy being imposed on the community. The contractor commenced work in June 2023, but he now wants us to pay 2020/2021 levy, which had already been paid by the previous administration, using the Anti-tout operatives to achieve his aim.We are therefore calling on the state government, law enforcement agencies to look into this matter and other killings and destructions carried out by these people in the community. Most landlords no longer sleep at their houses now because the anti-tout people always come at nights and this cannot continue.

“We believe the Commissioner for Environment is aiding and abetting this act, if not, the ministry has yet to act. We are therefore demanding from His Excellency, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, for justice and immediate the sacking of the ANSEPA contractor for Okpoko, Emeka Asoanya, and the Commissioner for Environment.”

Another landlord, who identified himself as Chisom Uche, said, “I was lucky to escape their invasion as I had quickly escaped into the residence of one of the tenants in the area when hinted that they were operating from house to house. It is not a funny development, the state government and other law enforcement authorities should save us from this mess. Those shot dead while the DPO was addressing the protesters were innocent people who died because they refused imposition of ANSEPA sanitation levies by the contractor in charge of Okpoko community. The contractor insisted that we must pay for 2021 and 2022 levies which the state government asked us not to pay, because of the hardship in the country then.

“We plead with Soludo to come to our rescue by ensuring justice is done to the deceased and perpetrators brought to book.” But in a swift reaction, when contacted on the development, the Head of Anti-Tout operatives, Solomon Ani, denied all the allegations, insisting that his men only went to the community to effect the arrest of touts who extort motorists.

He said, “The allegations are not true. We were in the community to arrest one tout known as ‘Onoja,’ who collects money from motorists at Okpoko. But he pleaded that he should be released for him to go back and inform his members to stop the act. “He was released, but instead of informing others, he went and regroup and were marching towards our office with gallons of petrol and matchetes in the name of protesting. Then our men intercepted them and then trouble started when shooting began and in the process, some persons were shot dead. We are not involved in any midnight raid. “

Also contacted, the state Commissioner for the Environment, Felix Odimegwu, who was also fingered, denied any knowledge on the development.Odimegwu said, “I am not aware of this as you are just informing me now. But I will make my enquiries and get back to you. All we are after is for a cleaner and healthy environment and that is our aim and not the other way.” Efforts to get the reaction of the ASWAMA contractor for Okpoko, Emeka Asoanya, who was also fingered by the landlords, proved abortive, as calls and messages to his telephone line were not responded.

The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, when also contacted, simply said, “The command is aware of the development in the area and investigation is going on, please.”

Source: Punch