By Tony Okafor, Awka
Tension gripped parts of Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Sunday morning as an aspirant for the House of Representatives under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Ifeanyi Ibezi, was attacked at Agbaja, Abatete, leaving two of his security aides with gunshot wounds.
Dr Ibezi, who seeks to represent Idemili North and South Federal Constituency, said the incident occurred at a community civic centre where he had scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting as part of his consultations ahead of the next general elections.
Addressing journalists at the scene, the former lawmaker said the injured security operatives had been rushed to hospital and were undergoing surgery.
“Two of my security men were shot and wounded. They have been taken to the hospital and are currently in the theatre,” he said.
The aspirant explained that all arrangements had been concluded for the meeting when he received, on Saturday evening, a purported letter allegedly issued by the Mayor of Idemili North Local Government Area, barring him from using the venue.
According to him, the letter was circulated on social media and was neither formally delivered to him nor verified through official channels.
He said he subsequently forwarded both the letter and his rebuttal to relevant authorities, including the state governor and party leadership.
“I wrote to stakeholders of Idemili North and South for a meeting today to discuss my aspiration to return to the House of Representatives. Everything was in place until I saw a purported letter on WhatsApp claiming I could not use the facility,” he said.
Ibezi stated that despite the development, preparations continued until early Sunday morning when he was alerted that armed personnel had taken over the venue.
“By about 6 a.m., I got a call that a contingent of armed men had cordoned off the premises. When I arrived, I was confronted by security operatives and local vigilantes who said they were acting on the instruction of the local government chairman to stop the event,” he alleged.
He further said that one of the operatives threatened him with a firearm, warning him against proceeding with the meeting.
According to him, the situation escalated as the armed men began firing shots into the air for over an hour, causing panic in the area.
“I immediately contacted the State Director of the Department of State Services, the Commissioner of Police, and other relevant authorities, including the governor. While I was on the phone, the shooting continued,” he said.
Ibezi said the shooting later turned violent, resulting in two security officers attached to him being hit by bullets.
“It was in the course of the shooting that two of my policemen were shot. We have video evidence of everything that happened,” he added.
The aspirant also alleged that some of the armed men issued threats to his life, but he instructed his team not to retaliate in order to avoid further escalation.
“I told my men to remain calm, not to respond or engage them. I am a law-abiding citizen and will not take the law into my hands,” he said.
He disclosed that he had earlier spoken with the state governor on Saturday night, who, according to him, expressed concern over the situation and promised to intervene by contacting the local government authorities.
“As of this morning, I have not been able to reach the mayor, and he has not returned my calls. The governor is aware and is making efforts to reach him,” Ibezi stated.
Citing constitutional provisions, the aspirant insisted that he had the right to hold a lawful assembly, describing the disruption as a violation of his rights.
“Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees freedom of assembly.
This was a private event in a community facility, and there was no justification for stopping it in this manner,” he said.
The Udo Ga-Achi security operatives who cordoned off the venue of the botched event a threatened to seize the cameras and phones of journalists, calling them unprintable names.
“Go and seize those cameras and phones. What are they here for? We are on instructions not to allow anybody here What is journalist?” their commander roared
Efforts to reach the Mayor of Idemili North for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the incident through the Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, but said details were still sketchy.
