By Phil Okose, Onitsha
Five persons were confirmed injured when pandemonium broke out amidst heavy shootings over ownership of parks at Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State as security operatives took over the disputed facilities.
The persons reportedly sustained injuries during the stampede caused by shootings from the masked security operatives.
The Chairman of Amafor Nkpor community, Chief Emmanuel Idemili, while briefing newsmen on the development, said that the operatives stormed the scene where his men were working and started shooting before chasing them away from duty post.
“We are in charge of the parks, we got our permissions from the state government to generate revenue from the parks for the state government.
“Just this morning, I was at Awka on an official assignment, when our men who are working at the parks called me and told me that masked security operatives stormed the parks under the flyover bridge and started shooting indiscriminately, ordering them to vacate the place immediately, and they took to their heels.
“The shootings and attack from these security men may have come from the former transition chairman of Idemili North Local Government Area, Chief Raphael Nnabife Ashia, because when he was the transition Committee chairman, he sacked us from the parks, telling us that the parks were owned and controlled by the State government and not the Amafor community,” Idemili said.
He further alleged that Ashia has been working under the cover of Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) to ensure that his team is unable to further collect the revenue on behalf of the state government.
He stated that Chief Ashia claimed to have taken ownership of collection of revenue from the parks on behalf of the state government through his company, Pugaty Investment.
“I was told that over five people got injured during the stampede as a result of the heavy shootings of which I am yet to know if my members were involved as the shootings resulted in traders at Nkpor New Auto Spare Parks and Nkpor Relief Markets to immediately shut their shops and fled to safety,” he further added.
In a swift reaction when contacted, the accused Chief Ashia denied involvement in the attack and sack of Amafor officials at the parks.
He said the sack may have been at the instance of the State government in collaboration with ANSIPPA as the parks are owned and controlled by the state.
However when contacted also, the Executive Director, Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA ), Chief Mark Okoye, confirmed that it was the State government that sacked them not ANSIPPA.
Also when contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, (DSP), said that he was not aware of the incident.