The traditional ruler of Mbulu Owo community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Dr Godwin Okeke Arum, has raised alarm over what he described as repeated intimidation of his people by armed military personnel, calling on the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to urgently intervene and rein in their officers operating in the area.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu on Thursday, the monarch said his community was thrown into panic following an incident on Wednesday when masked military men, numbering over fifty, stormed a farmland area at Owo and abducted eight able-bodied men who were working on their ancestral land. He described the operation as sudden, forceful, and emotionally disturbing for the affected families and the wider community.
Igwe Okeke Arum explained that farming remains the main source of livelihood for the people of Mbulu Owo and neighbouring Owo communities, noting that the land in question has been cultivated by generations without dispute with the Federal Government or any institution.
He also stated that the recent military presence and abductions have created fear, disrupted farming activities, and threatened food production in the area, which is largely agrarian in nature.
He further highlighted that the abducted persons may be undergoing harsh treatment, because they were taken away to an unknown location like criminals, without clear explanation of their offence, adding that the incident has heightened tension across the community.
According to him, “residents of my community now fear going to their farms because of the presence of brutal military personnel. It is very unfair and inhumane for civilians to be treated like animals and criminals by the military for engaging in lawful activities on their ancestral land. What the military is doing in our community has to stop before it degenerates into something else. We cannot be in our land and live in fear anymore.”
He also called for the immediate release of the abducted harmless farmers from his community, while also calling on the Chief of Army Staff as well as the Chief of Defence Staff to fish out the personnel involved in this dastardly act for punishment.
“Nigeria Army has to leave Owo and Mbulu Owo communities. They need to stop these series of harassment on our people before it turns into something else. Right now, we are in the rainy season, but many farmers in Owo are uncertain about returning to their farms because of the military brutality against them, as fear of further arrests continues to spread in our communities. It is time to get those involved in this arrest to quench the fire it could ignite before it is too late.”
Speaking with newsmen on condition of anonymity, a senior police officer at the Idodo/Owo Police Division confirmed the incident. He stated that the police were not officially informed about the invasion of the village or the alleged abduction of some residents until the families of the victims reported the matter at the station.
He further explained that upon receiving the report, the police contacted a neighbouring military camp at Ezeilo, whose officials confirmed that their personnel had indeed entered the village and taken away some residents, alleging that they were involved in the destruction of property on their land.
However ,when contacted ,the Police Public Relations officer, Dsp Daniel Ndukwe could neither pick his calls nor reply his sms as at the time of filling this report
