By Our Correspondent
A community leader in Odumodu-Enu village, Umunya, Anambra State, Mr. Collins Nweke, is currently battling for his life in a private hospital following alleged brutalisation by the member representing Oyi Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Innocent Ojike, popularly known as Ojicam.
The lawmaker, who was recently accused of assaulting the chairman of Odumodu-Enu at a meeting in Awkuzu, is said to have attacked Mr. Nweke in a desperate attempt to suppress public criticism.
Narrating his ordeal from his hospital bed, Mr. Nweke said he was attending a traditional marriage ceremony at Odumodu-Ana village, Umunya, around 5:30 p.m. on June 30, when the lawmaker arrived with a convoy.
According to him, the convoy blocked his vehicle before the lawmaker allegedly began firing shots at his legs.
Although the bullets missed, Mr. Nweke claimed that Hon. Ojike and his security operatives descended on him, striking his head with a pistol and leaving him with severe injuries that caused profuse bleeding.
He further alleged that he was abducted and taken to a secluded location near Zone 13 in Ukpo, where he was mercilessly beaten. His attackers reportedly accused him of filming the earlier altercation between the lawmaker and the Odumodu-Enu chairman.
“They asked me to produce the video or be killed. When they couldn’t find anything on my phone, they abandoned me to bleed to death,” Mr. Nweke recounted tearfully. “I was rescued by a Good Samaritan who found me where they left me.”
Mr. Nweke has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene urgently, alleging that Odumodu villagers are now living in fear of continued intimidation from the lawmaker. “My life is in danger, and the people of Odumodu are no longer safe,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, community leaders, Ichie Ekene Ejeh of Odumodu-Enu and Mr. Chukwuemeka Ozokwelu, chairman of Odumodu-Ana, condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric and unbecoming of an elected representative.”
Hon. Ojike has also been linked to the controversial sale of communal land in Odumodu, reportedly carried out without the consent of the community.
As at press time, efforts to reach the lawmaker for comment were unsuccessful.
