2 Policemen Shot As APGA Reps’ Aspirant Escapes Death In Anambra

Two policemen deployed to a venue scheduled for political stakeholders’ meeting are now in a critical condition in a hospital as a result of bullet wounds they allegedly sustained from the operatives of the Anabra State ad-hoc security outfit code-named “Udo-Ga-Chi”.

The incident occurred at Nkwo Agbaja Civic Centre, Abatete, Idemili-South LGA where an aspirant for Idemili-South/Idemili-North federal constituency in the coming 2027 general election under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Hon. Ifeanyi Ibezim, slated to hold a meeting of stakeholders in the federal constituency.

When LEADERSHIP arrived at the venue, several armed “Udo-Ga-Chi” operatives cordoned off the civic centre with one of the security outfit’s hillux van used to block the entrance gate.

Narrating the incident to newsmen at the gate of the civic centre, Ibezim claimed that he escaped death in the hands of the local operatives just by the whiskers, as according to him, the operatives attempted to take his life.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga told LEADERSHIP that he was aware of the incident but had not gotten the full details of what transpired.

He also confirmed that Ibezim notified thee command about the s meeting.

Also when contacted, the special adviser to the Governor on Security, Prince Ken Emeakayi told LEADERSHIP that he was in a meeting and promised to call back.

But Ibezim said that he read a post sent to his WhatsApp platform and some other WhatsApp platforms purportedly by the chairman of Idemili-South LGA, Hon. Stanley Nkwoka cancelling his scheduled stakeholders meeting thereby discouraging the invitees from attending the meeting.

He said that following the sad development he had written and circulated a rebuttal to the said local government chairman’s posts.

Ibezim said that as a member of the APGA, he had also called the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and complained to him about the local government chairman’s posts trying to stop his use of the civic centre for the stakeholders meeting, and, discourage the invitees from attending.

He, also, said that he tried to speak to the council chairman over the development but that his phone was switched off throughout the number of times he dialed his number.

Ibezim, said that the state governor had, after he narrated to him about the stakeholders meeting he scheduled to hold and the purported directive by the local government chairman that he was not allowed to use the civic centre to hold the meeting, the governor had expressed surprise, and, assured him that he would call the council chairman to ascertain from him what the problem was.

“After explaining what transpired to him(Governor Soludo ) he had told me ‘How can he (Idemili-South council chairman)stop what I’m doing since it is a private thing and in a private facility?’ So, the governor is not in support of what he (council chairman) is doing”, Ibezim narrated.

He, however, stated that he was jolted at about 6am on Sunday when those he hired to decorate the venue called him, and, alerted him that heavily armed operatives of the Operation Udo-Ga-Chi have invaded the civic centre, and, ordered them to leave the venue.

Ibezim said that he immediately also rushed to the civic centre and meet heavily armed operatives of the state security personnel.

He said that the state security operatives on sighting him started shooting sporadically, and, that during the shooting spree that lasted for over an hour and half, two police personnel deployed to the civic centre were seriously shot by the Udo-Ga-Chi operatives, and, were immediately rushed to the Iyienu Hospital and were taken into the theatre to undergo surgical operation.

Pointing at a security operative who was standing at a little distance at the civic centre, Ibezim said “When I arrived here that civil defence orderly of the local government chairman told me that he was under instruction by the local government chairman not to allow any meeting here. He ordered me to leave, that if I make any moves, I will be shot. They wanted to murder me. Immediately he said that all these people here (pointing at the Udo-Ga-Chi operative) sstarted clocking their guns, shooting in the air, everywhere.

“It was when they were shooting that I suddenly saw that two out of the four policemen at the civic centre have been shot.

“So, I called the state Director of the SS, the commissioner of police and the Special Adviser on security to the governor; I called everyone that I am supposed to call”, Ibezim stated.