ONITSHA — Youths of Oba, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State on Sunday 12th day of July, allegedly engaged in a fisticuff that led to the disruption of IPOB meetings in Oba as well as smashed windows of vehicles owned by IPOB members, parked outside the compound where the meeting was ongoing.
On Wednesday the 15th of July 2020, in a broadcast, the leader of IPOB Nnamdi Kanu had ordered members of his group to take revenge on Oba youths, after posting two videos of the incident on his page with hundreds of thousands of followership. One of the posts made by Kanu in his official Facebook page reads in part, “On Sunday, the 12th of July, Oba youths attacked our women…those that are responsible for the abomination will pay dearly”.
In his broadcast that commenced later yesterday evening, Nnamdi Kanu declared to his followers, “starting from tonight, any member of any cult in Oba is a walking corpse. We will hunt you all down. I hereby hold the PG, youth leader and Igwe of Oba accountable. The parents in Oba gave birth to nonsense and we won’t take all this nonsense into Biafra land. Oba youths will record massive deaths starting from tonight for destroying IPOB vehicles and disrupting their meeting”.
Remarkably, out of several thousands of comments on Nnamdi Kanu’s page on Facebook over the fracas, none seems to know exactly what transpired, including those who claimed to be at the IPOB meeting that was allegedly disrupted by Oba youths. However, Facebook user Chukz Major, responding to Kanu’s post said, “I think (its) very shameful to collectively refer (to) people that did this stupidity as Oba youth, but a group of cultist.”
According to another Kanu’s fan on his page by name Philipiper N’ Oba, “Information reaching me now says otherwise, it was a clash between two fighters, one stabbed the other with knife and ran into the compound where IPOB members were holding meeting, when they saw a group of guys running into the compound where their meeting was going on, they locked the gate immediately for safety…the youths came there with anger…this resulted to destroying cars and properties belonging to IPOB members”, he said.
However, the West African Pilot News correspondent gathered that indeed, what happened on Sunday in Oba against IPOB members was triggered by an attack by a member of IPOB against Oba youth around Afor market in Oba. According to Engr. Ben, a native of Oba “I was not in Oba at the time of the sad event. But I gathered that while the Oba youth was walking around Afor Oba, another guy who is a member of IPOB immediately on sighting him, attacked him with a knife and stabbed him to the ground and then escaped with some others. You know Afor Oba is central so immediately the situation created a scenario and drew attention so youths gathered to retaliate”. That Sunday, IPOB members had gathered in the home of one of their members just a stone throw from the Afor market for their “back to the root” event and “therefore it was not difficult for the youths to immediately unleash their anger on IPOB members, but I do not think it is a cult clash otherwise, the guy that was stabbed should have known that there is cult clash and therefore not likely to be at that Afor market side, at the time”, Engr. Ben had said.
Another respondent who is an indigene of Oba and a member of IPOB, but does not want to be named said that the person who stabbed someone is not a member of IPOB and that the attack by Oba youths was only coincidental and not planned. According to him, “the stabbing with knife was a cult clash. These days in Oba, so many kids are into cultism and it is unfortunate. It happened that while the stabber was being pursued by youths, he ran into the compound where the IPOB meeting was going on, and that led to the smashing of the chairs and canopy, plus vandalizing over thirty vehicles belonging to members of IPOB”.
Only a few weeks ago, Nnamdi Kanu had ordered the stoning to death of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo President-General Nnia Nwodo, which he later withdrew according to him, on the prompting of Sen. Abaribe. It is left to be seen how his order to clampdown on Oba youths will be reacted to considering that contrary to insinuations of paid attack on IPOB by Oba youths, our findings clearly shows that it was an unplanned, anomic, coincidental mob action in retaliation of a knife attack on an Oba youth by a suspected member of IPOB.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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