Many communities in the Southeast are bedevilled with one form of insecurity or the other, a situation which has made many abandon their homes, in this report, CHRIS NJOKU, OWERRI; NWANOSIKE ONU, AWKA; OGO ANIOKE, ABAKALIKI; SUNNY NWANKWO, UMUAHIA, examine the plight of residents, and attempts to arrest the situation.

Orsu LG communities deserted as southeast insecurity lingers

The once-thriving communities in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State now lie eerily deserted, a stark testament to the debilitating impact of the prolonged insecurity in the South East.

Residents have fled their homes, abandoning their sources of livelihood and leaving behind a trail of economic and social devastation.

The insecurity, attributed to the activities of insurgents, has forced businesses to shut down and farms unattended to. The absence of residents has also disrupted social structures.

In one recent occurrence, no fewer than 18 people were killed in coordinated attacks by gunmen in Umukabia, Eziawa, Ihittenasa, Umuhu, Amaoku, and Amaebe communities in the LGA.

Residents are frustrated that repeated assurances from security agencies, especially the police, have solved no problem.

Now, they are afraid to return home, unsure of what the future holds.

?We can?t return to our homes because of the constant fear of attacks,? said a displaced resident, who wished to remain anonymous. ?Our farms are overgrown with weeds, and our businesses have been abandoned. We?re struggling to survive,? he said.

However, in a bid to restore hope and security to the area, the Imo State Police Command has launched a clearance and peace-building operation.

On February 11, 2025, Commissioner of Police Aboki Danjuma led a tactical unit on a clearance operation across the LGA, accompanied by local government officials and security personnel.

The move, according to the Imo State Police Command, was aimed at ?boosting the confidence of residents in returning to their deserted communities.?

Danjuma visited key areas including Eke Ututu Market, Ihiteukwa, Okwu Amaraihe, Awo-Idemili, Ihitenansa, and Amaruru, reassuring locals including youth leaders, and community stakeholders that a secure environment awaited their homecoming.

The CP also connected with joint security personnel?police, military, DSS, and vigilance?deployed on peace-building operations. He met with clearance teams that have significantly reduced criminal activity, noting the recovery of assorted IEDs and other dangerous weapons from dislodged IPOB/ESN camps.

At the Orsu LGA Headquarters, the Commissioner met with key leaders including the Chief Security Officer of Orsu, Hon. Emmanuel Ike. Their discussions focused on strengthening partnerships and improving coordination for enhanced intelligence sharing and rapid responses to security challenges. Such measures ensure that every step is taken to safeguard the community.

The Commissioner of Police reaffirmed the Command?s commitment to security, inviting displaced residents to return, confident in enhanced patrols and proactive intelligence.

He urged everyone to report suspicious activity and stressed that lasting peace is a collective effort. CP Danjuma particularly called on Orsu?s youth and residents to work with security agencies to restore peace and security.

Anambra still traumatized by killing of abducted lawmaker, disappearance of Ezemma

Tension remains thick in the air in Anambra State where state lawmaker, Justice Azuka, was killed by his abductors after clearing N100 million from his account. Another victim, young entrepreneur Benjamin Ezemma, is yet to be traced since his disappearance on November 12, 2024.

Azuka was abducted on December 24, 2024, on his way to celebrate Christmas with his family.

His decomposing body was found on February 6 under the Second Niger Bridge where it was dumped.

Another politician, Obiora Agbasimelo, has not been seen since 2021 and residents are still asking questions.

Governor Charles Soludo, responding to the criminality in the state, launched ?Operation Udo Ga-Achi,? a security network outfit, early in the new year.

The joint security initiative, comprising a team of 2,000 crack personnel from the Army, Police, Navy, and other security agencies, along with the Agunaechemba Strike Force, operates across the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state to restore peace and security to a state that was being threatened by criminal elements.

Residents are demanding an immediate end to the state of insecurity.

Mrs Ekwutos Ejiofor, a farmer, told The Nation that the present situation cannot be allowed to continue.

?People live in fear. We don?t sleep with our two eyes closed. Our sons and daughters are being kidnapped and killed each day by unknown persons,? she said.

? Our people don?t go to the market every Monday because of fear of the unknown. Those we trust in protecting us are not doing anything. Enjoyment has eluded the young ones. We?re living in hell.?

Also speaking, Mr Clement Egwuonwu who operates a drinking bar in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area said: ?Our patrons don?t come regularly again like before. Even if they come, by 6 pm, everybody is gone for fear of gunmen. How do we survive??

Human Rights activist, Osita Obi said: ?If personalities like Benjamin Ezemma of Dubai Estate fame, Hon Justice Azuka and Hon Okechukwu, the two lawmakers and Obiora Agbasimelo could be kidnapped and killed, what happens to ordinary people like us?

?That is the reason we?re interrogating the government and the Police. They have all the apparatus at their disposal. It might be this 34-year-old Ezemma today, it could be any of us tomorrow.

?We want to know what happened to him. The number of missing persons in this state is alarming. We registered our SIM cards in this country, why can?t anybody track the perpetrators of these heinous crimes?

?Our profiles are with the government, they should go into his call log to track his abductors. I?m in pain.?

Ebonyi govt deploys security personnel after herdsmen attack on community

The February 2 herdsmen attack on Amegu Nkalaga community in Ishielu Local Government Area left 15 people dead and properties worth millions of naira in ruins.

The attack is said to be a reprisal for the killing of cows by unknown hoodlums in the area.

Residents fled in the aftermath of the attack while the government subsequently deployed security personnel to the area to forestall a reprisal.

The President General of Nkalaha community, Donatus Eze said: ?we tried to resolve this matter since last year December 2024, but to my utmost surprise, when I heard that the herdsmen had attacked my community, I thought it was a joke, because we were on the verge of resolving this matter.

?Many buildings were razed, many people were slaughtered like chickens. Our people are already packing out of this village. Many have packed their luggage and ran away for fear of further attacks.?

A member of the community and former Chairman, the Academic Staff Union of University, (ASUU) Ebonyi State University Chapter, Prof Ndubuisi Idenyi said, ?My Village Amegu Nkalaha was attacked by herdsmen. Many have been killed and houses razed. What a black Sunday?.

Idenyi said the herdsmen attacked the community in the early hours of Sunday killing and injuring an unconfirmed number of people as well as burning down houses.

One of the women whose husband was killed, Mrs. Nwakaego Ebah, lamented saying, ?The herdsmen invaded our house and killed my husband who did not do anything wrong to warrant him being killed.?

The council chairman of Ishielu Local Government Area, Mrs. Peace Ifeoma Agwu said when she received the information of the attack and killings of the people by herdsmen, she had to mobilize security operatives in Ishielu Local Government Area who swiftly moved to the scene of the attack to prevent further damages and killings in the area.

?Honestly, it was sad news. The state government under the leadership of Governor Nwifuru is however handling it in a way that such attacks and brutal killings will never occur again in those three villages of the Nkalaha community,? she stressed.

The Ebonyi State Police Command said it had arrested a suspect in connection with the February 2 attack.

Police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, said security operatives, acting on credible intelligence, swooped on the hoodlums? camps in Amegu and Umulesha villages.

He said that the hoodlums upon seeing the operatives, opened fire and when the security personnel responded the bandits fled.

One of them was apprehended during the operation.

Ukandu noted that the operatives destroyed the hoodlums? shrines and camps in both villages, recovering two Dane guns, a mobile phone and a motorcycle in the process.

Abia not safe for criminals, says Abia Govt

Unknown gunmen were also said to have attacked, Obikabia Junction off Ogbor Hill in Aba, Milverton, Opobo road junction along Ikot-Ekpene-Aba Expressway and Ohafia, Arochukwu, Umunneochi, Isuikwuato, Isiala Ngwa North, Umuahia North and South in Abia State.

Some of the victims were security personnel.

But the situation seems to be stabilizing following the launching of ?Operation Crush? by the state government to tackle crimes of all shades especially in Umunneochi and on the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The governor of state while announcing scholarships to children and handing over cash worth several amounts of cash to wives and families of deceased security personnel, said that his government would not just support security agencies in making the state conducive for business and economic activities to thrive, but will make sure that the state is not a haven for criminal elements. (The Nation)

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