Abia monarch knocks govt for community insecurity

The traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous community, Ohuhu, Umuahia Abia State, His Royal Majesty, Eze Phillip Ajomiwe, has lamented the failure of security agencies and the government over the continuous dumping of dead bodies suspected to be ritual victims at the Imo River boundary. He said he had reported the discovery to the state government and security agencies, particularly the police without any action taken.

Ajomiwe, who has consistently been calling on security agencies in Imo and Abia states to beam their searchlight within the area to apprehend the perpetrators, had disclosed that his community had seen no fewer than 40 dead bodies tied in sacks and dumped inside the river, stating that they did not know those behind the heinous crime.

In an interview with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, Ajomiwe said, “Yes, we saw more than 30 corpses in our Abia and Imo states boundary but not at a go. It happens every week since last year. We have been reporting the sightings too.

“The discovery was not at once but since 2024 at the NNPC pipeline and inside the river. The recent one was last week with the discovery of the lady floating in the river as well as a floating bag containing human body parts.

“We have been reporting even to the police. Last year, we discovered three decomposing bodies. I called the police immediately and also informed the government. I called the Mayor and he sent officials but the bodies were already decomposed.

“When people from Imo State brought dead bodies into our pipeline area, I called the police and it was even my vehicle that was used to convey the police to the area in September. When I informed the Mayor, he sent the Department of State Security who came and we had a meeting with them.

So, I didn’t keep silent. I reported to our House of Assembly representative and he asked me to write to the Speaker through him, which I did, but was told then that the House had yet to be reconstituted. He asked me to write to the Commissioner of Police, which I did.”

He said for a long time, he had been reporting about the insecurity and car snatching in the community to the police to no avail.

According to him, “This issue didn’t start today. That of last year was on September 9. I am organising the letters (I have written) because my subjects who heard about it have been calling me and I have discussed it with the Commissioner for Information who informed me that they had the State Executive Council meeting on Monday and that I should bring the copy (of the letters) to him.

“Good a thing, the letter I wrote then, I went to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and when he saw this recent letter, he said that he was updating it, but what of the one I had written? I wrote about the body dumped on the pipeline, as well as a vehicle we recovered that was abandoned along our road. Even someone who was kidnapped. It was my car that was used to go there and took them to the police headquarters. My community thought that the victim was a kidnapper.

“What else can we do? When we talk, it is a problem and when we don’t talk, it is the same. My community has been scaring them (suspects) away but they are always armed. How many are we? This is one of our predicaments. We have done all we could to let the government hear this, yet they have done nothing.”

According to him, people have also vandalised the 500 KVA transformer installed by their son and a General in the Army at Umurum Ekeoba which was inaugurated by the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, the same week with that of the MTN mast which was vandalised, though the police a few days ago said they were tracking the suspects.

Reacting, the Abia State Government expressed its knowledge about the report.

The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, on Monday, told our correspondent that he had spoken with Eze Ajomiwe on the matter, saying, “The state government is investigating the matter.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO DSP Maureen Chinaka, could not be reached for her comments as she did not pick up her calls when our correspondent her number on Monday.