By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
About 5am on December 7, 2023, Okpoko community, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State was thrown into confusion when operatives of the newly conscripted Soludo Anti-tout squad invaded the area and forcefully chasing people out of their houses over unclear reasons.
This reporter gathered that Soludo’s Anti-tout squad unleashed terror and mayhem on peasants at Amazu-Nkpikpa Okpoko when they invaded the area in the wee hours of Thursday morning shooting sporadically.
It was gathered too that the Anti-tout squad terrorised the entire community such that inhabitants of the area had no other option but to fight back to defend themselves from the marauding Anti-tout squad at that time of the day.
It was equally gathered that at 8am the same Thursday morning, Okpoko youths staged a protest concerning the incessant inhumane treatments meted out on them by the anti-tout squad.
The protest which culminated into the burning of tyres along Owerri road axis of the Federal Highway in the area, saw the youths marching towards Okpoko Police Station to report the rascality and deadly nature of the anti-tout squad.
It was during the protest march that the anti-tout squad resurfaced again shooting recklessly in the area and killing three of the protesting youths near Zenith Bank Obodoukwu Road Okpoko.
When this reporter contacted the President-General of Okpoko community, Chief Francis Enemuo, he said he travelled and could not say anything about the killing of three youths in his community where he is the President-General. He told this reporter to rely on what the Divisional Police Officer of Okpoko Police Station told him about the incident.
Meanwhile, the DPO of Okpoko Police Station confirmed to this reporter that three persons were allegedly killed when the anti-tout squad were shooting recklessly while the youths protested even as he said that the incident has been reported to the command headquarters Awka.
When contacted also to speak on the incident, the leader of the Soludo Anti-tout agents, one Ebuka Solomon, said he would not grant a phone interview on the matter unless this reporter came to his office at the Government House Awka; that he was not disposed to say what actually happened as of the time of writing this report at 4:12pm Thursday evening.
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