Hoodlums yesterday set ablaze the headquarters of Ogbaru local government council, Atani in Anambra State.
A resident said about 30 hoodlums stormed the local government headquarters in the early hours of Friday from Umuzu and Amiyi communities in the local government armed with heavy weapons, including guns and dynamites.
The source said that the hoodlums came at about 5am, operated unchallenged for more than one hour and burnt four buildings in the local government and that the only building left standing is the one housing the local government chairman’s office (partly burnt) and the canteen.
“They came on foot carrying different types of guns and dynamites; they came from Amuzu and Amiyi axis.
“They burnt four buildings in the local government and one vehicle.
“They came around 5am and left at about 6am”, a source in the local government area told LEADERSHIP Weekend.
The source, however, stated that the only reason he could conjecture as to why the hoodlums carried out the attack was just that they want to inflict fears in the residents and to show that they were still operating.
Public relations officer of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga who confirmed the attack stated that a joint team of the men of the police command and vigilant members chased the hoodlums away.
He also confirmed the destruction of properties in the council headquarters by the attackerd adding that security operations were ongoing to track down the criminals.
Sources in the local government lamented that Amuzu and Amiyi communities in the local government had been dens of unknown gunmen for more than a year now and that criminals from the areas have been carrying out terrible attacks and have kidnapped several persons, killed many people including security operatives, including police personnel and vigilant members.
“We have been living in fears in this local government because of criminal elements who have taken over Umuzu and Amiyi. Sometimes, they operate on motorcycles; sometimes they come on foot, kidnap people and run into the bush with them.
“We have cried out to the police but the security agencies have not been able to flush the criminals out from the communities” the resident told LEADERSHIP Weekend.
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