Three communities in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State Ezi-Obodo, Ezi-Okele, and Ihiagwa on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest over rising insecurity, including reported cases of kidnappings and killings allegedly linked to herdsmen operating in the area.
Residents, including youths, women, elders, and community leaders, marched through major roads within the communities carrying placards, demanding urgent government intervention to address what they described as worsening security challenges.
The Councillor representing Eziobodo/Ezi Okele Ward 5, Chijioke Echendu, who addressed journalists during the protest, condemned the situation, describing it as one of the most persistent security threats the area has faced in recent times.
He called on security agencies and the Imo State Government to intensify efforts to protect residents, particularly in areas around forests and bushes suspected to be used as hideouts by criminal elements.
Echendu also dismissed reports circulating on social media alleging that about 40 people were killed in Eziobodo, describing the claims as false and capable of causing unnecessary panic.
“Although there have been isolated incidents of kidnapping and attacks within parts of Owerri West, such incidents should not be exaggerated or misrepresented as a total invasion or massacre in Eziobodo,” he said.
He added that local vigilante groups, in collaboration with police operatives from the Owerri West Division, have continued routine patrols to safeguard lives and property across the affected communities.
Explaining recent incidents that triggered the protest, the councillor said one attack occurred near the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) back gate, along the Ihiagwa axis, where an Okada rider and his passenger were reportedly abducted.
He also cited another incident in which a woman and her daughter were kidnapped while returning from Ihiagwa to Ezi-Obodo, adding that during the same attack, a commercial motorcyclist was shot and later died at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, while several others sustained machete injuries.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said additional security operatives had been deployed to the area, noting that preliminary findings indicated an attempted abduction that was foiled by security personnel working with local vigilantes.
Okoye added that the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit, alongside other tactical teams, was conducting continuous patrols in the affected communities, and urged residents to report security emergencies via 08034773600 or 09116606669.
