Tales of woes have continued to persist in the South-East geo-political region due to the unending spate of kidnappings, with the Ihiala axis in Anambra State now referred to as ‘Sambisa Forest’.

Some kidnapped victims got lucky and survived the ordeal after paying the ransom. They lived to tell their stories, while others who were not so lucky, paid the ransom and were still killed. Their dead bodies and personal items littered the bushes where they were held captive.

Consequently, these forests where they were kept became terror zones for the villagers. Some of these forests have, therefore, been nicknamed ‘Sambisa forests’ by the villagers.

Some communities have been abandoned and deserted, yet in some others, people are always on the edge and live in constant fear. Life in the region has, indeed, become brutish, as people in every state in the zone have tales of woe to tell.

Security agents had on many occasions combed the forests and bushes for these kidnappers and on many occasions, exchanged gun battles with them.

Some of the kidnappers were termed unknown gunmen and in many other cases, there were herdsmen who invaded and occupied some forests and bushes in Igbo land. They kidnap and terrorize people.

A cross-section of residents of the region agreed that forests and bushes in their areas were not safe. They have been occupied by criminal elements who turned them into places for torture, killing, maiming, rape, shrines, and all manner of evil activities.

August Meeting kidnap

Just recently, gunmen abducted a lawyer and two other persons in Nkpologwu, Aguata LGA of Anambra.

The victim reportedly arrived from Abuja to speak to a group of women at an event. The other two victims, who were said to have visited from Rivers State, were whisked away in different directions.

It happened during the grand finale of this year’s women’s August meeting. Anambra State has, indeed, witnessed and is still witnessing massive kidnap incidents.

Before the election of November 2021 that brought on board Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the state was almost a no-go area.

None of the 21 council areas is safe. People get kidnapped and sometimes killed almost daily by the so-called unknown gunmen. Soludo himself escaped death by whiskers during one of his campaign rallies, incidentally in his hometown of Isuofia.

Sadly, three policemen were killed in the ugly incident. The situation almost threatened the election, but was managed and the election was held.

Gov Soludo

On assumption of office, the Soludo government launched a war against the gunmen who at that time held Anambra State under siege, particularly, the South senatorial zone where the governor comes from.

Then the border local government areas with Imo State, namely Aguata, Nnewi, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, and South were under siege by the gunmen.

They responded to the government’s fight with a more ferocious attack, burning properties in some local government council headquarters.

As they were being decimated, they kept retaliating, killing, maiming, and kidnapping innocent people. Some communities in the area became no-go areas.

The vast stretch of Inter-state borderland between Anambra and Imo states became no man’s land as it was virtually taken over by hoodlums who attacked and kidnapped motorists.

To date, the hoodlums still operate in these areas, even though their capacity seems to have been greatly reduced. They have recruited locals who provide them with information on who and when to attack and kidnap.

Sambisa

Some of their known camps in that axis include ‘Mother Valley’, around the Lilu-Osumorghu axis, and the Ihiala council area, which due to its steep forest terrain, was nicknamed the ‘Sambisa of the South East’.

The forest area goes by many other names, depending on which community one is in. It spans over 700 hectares and is within reach of thousands of rural populations.

On the map, it appears as a vast green belt spread between border communities. The forest is so dense that much of the ground level is invisible from above.

Other dreaded kidnapper’s dens could be found in Ukpor, Utu, both in Nnewi South; as well as Lilu, Orumoghu, Mbosi, Uli, all in Ihiala Local Government Area.

Victims, who managed to escape, narrated their ugly experiences in some of these forests.

Tales of victims

A victim, who was set free from Lilu forest after his family paid the demanded ransom, described the den as hell on earth.

“In that forest, people are killed like chicken. Charms and various types of hard drugs are freely used.

“Women bring cooked food into the forest and are paid, and the victims are constantly tortured and their cries put on speaker of mobile phones to get family members to pay the ransom.”

In March 2024, the army conducted an operation in one of the camps and recovered weapons and various supplies, which they alleged were used by IPOB fighters, a claim IPoB leadership denied.

Although some areas have been recovered, it is not yet Uhuru as the criminals still operate intermittently.

Surprisingly, most of the criminal camps in the South-East are within walking distance of many of the communities.

The question on the lips of Ndi Anambra is what it will cost the state governments to completely clear the forests and bushes which are not much compared to what is obtained in other regions, and put them to a profitable use. (Vanguard)

Update news