By Our Correspondent
Onitsha South Local Government Area considered one of the safest in the State, has come under severe attack from criminal elements, with about 27 persons kidnapped and 50 vehicles snatched in the last five months.
According to a group in the Local Government, Onitsha South Local Elders Forum (OSEF), in a statement pushed out, most of the kidnappings and car snatching took place at Fegge, the hub of the Local Government.
In the statement endorsed by the chairman of the Pforum, Chief Mrs Cicilia Nnaemeka and secretary, Ichie Emeka Nwakibeya, they said just last Friday, a beer parlour operator was shot at Silas Works Street, which later died on Saturday, while one of his customers was kidnapped.
On Tuesday last week, said the group, a security operative simply called Emma, attached with one Emmanuel Idoko, was brutally murdered along Creeks Road, and his service rifle was collected from him by the criminals.
One Samson Mammah Ejiofor, had his Lexus 330 snatched, while his friend with him in the vehicle was kidnapped.
Another victim said the group was one Chukwuemeka whose Corolla car was snatched, while Rav 4, 2014 model was on November 17, 2024, snatched from the owner, and the kidnappers made away with a huge sum of money from other victims.
Again one Emma Idemili, popularly known as “Emma Gulder”, was also kidnapped Friday but lately escaped from kidnappers’ den
The group attributed the latest crime wave in the Local Government to the porosity of the Local Government Area and lack of youths engagement.
They called on the chairman of the Local Government, Chief Emeka Orji, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr.Monday Ekuase to do something drastic to secure the Local Government.
The group said as the criminals became more sophisticated in their operational modalities, the security operatives should equally think outside the box.
The Elders Forum suggested that 20 security posts should be created in the Local Government Area as well as stepping up intelligence gathering from security operatives to track down the criminals who originally took off from Ogbe-Ukwu and Okoti in Ogbaru Local Government Area Anambra State
