Crises in Nimbo over kidnap of vigilante group boss

There is serious skirmishes between the people of Oda Nimbo and Ukpabi in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State following the kidnap of the Special Adviser to the local government and Head of the state-owned local security outfit, the Neighbourhood Watch in the area, Ejiofor Enechi. Nimbo came to national and international limelight following the massacre of the people of the area by Fulani herdsmen in April last year. Police detectives in Enugu had earlier arrested two men who reportedly took part in the abduction of Enechi and collection of the N2 million ransom from the victim’s family members as well as recovered the mobile telephones used in negotiating for the ransom. Enechi was returning from Opanda in Uzo Uwani where he had travelled to buy yams and drinks on December 13, when he was kidnapped and taken into the bush and had not been seen since then. The sources said that crises started in the area when Enechi’s cousin, Emmanuel Ekeja who was allegedly escorting the police for the arrest of the leader of the neighbourhood watch, Oda Nimbo and other suspected members of the kidnap gang at their hideout when the incident occurred, leading to serious protests by Enechi’s kinsmen over the killing of his cousin, Ekeja. Ekeja was killed after the policemen with him had escaped placed. Ekeja’s killers were said to have placed a gun on his chest in a bid to cover their track. Barely two years ago, some policemen were attacked at the same Oda Nimbo while on investigative activities. Although, none of them was killed during the incident, their new Hillux Toyota van was seized from them and burnt. At the time of this report, there were fears that Enechi might have died in the hands of his abductors. The sources said that the two arrested kidnappers confessed that they used the mobile phones and changed the sim cards intermittently in the course of the negotiations for the ransom which they initially placed at N10 million. The Chairman of the Care-taker Committee of Uzo Uwani Local Government Area, Mr Cornell Onwubuya did not reply to repeated phone calls but the traditional ruler of Nimbo, Igwe John Akor confirmed that the situation in the area was tense.