Oha­naeze Ndigbo President Escapes Stray Bullet Scare

The crisis rocking the Youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership near­ly caused disaster yesterday, at the National Secretariat of the organisation, located at No. 7 Parks Avenue, GRA, Enugu, as the President General of Oha­naeze Ndigbo, Professor Enwo Igariwey; National secretary, Dr Joe Nwaorgu and some oth­ers, narrowly escaped being hit by stray bullet fired by a police officer.

Professor Igariwey and mem­bers of his executive had assem­bled at the secretariat for a NEC meeting that will discuss issues bordering on the crisis rocking the Mazi Christopher Isiguzo­ro-led Youth Wing of Ohanaeze, which obviously has broken into two factions.

But sooner had they start­ed than a faction of the Youth Wing against the leadership of Mazi Isiguzoro leadership of Ohaneze, led by the Nation­al Publicity Secretary, Obinna Adibe, stormed the secretariat with some police men from the Enugu Area Command to arrest one of the youth leaders by name Alex Okemiri, whom he claimed in his petition to the Area com­mand of Nigeria Police Com­mand Enugu, impersonated him in the text messages he circulat­ed to members, for a meeting.

The attempt to whisk Mr Alex Okemiri away by the policemen from the Area Command who were on plain clothes resulted in a great scuf­fle among the members of the Youth Wing, who were present at the Ohanaeze secretariat, even when Professor Igariwey and Dr Joe Nwaorgu, who are the um­pires of the parent body of Oha­naeze Ndigbo intervened.

At a point, the police order­ly attached to the Enugu depu­ty state chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Hon Ogochukwu Ony­ema, had to release a gun shot to scatter the struggle. At this point, Professor Igariwey, Dr Nwaorgu and other members of the executive,who has gathered for the NEC meeting scampered for their safety.

Attempts to get the reaction of President General of Oha­naeze Ndigbo, Professor Iga­riwey on the development be­fore filling this report proved abortive since he didn’t pick his call. The President of Ohanaeze Youth Wing, Mazi Isiguzoro in a telephone chat ad­mitted that there was a crisis of which a police man fired a shot to quench the rioting youths but said the rioting was based on dissenting voices over the last conference staged at Owerri by Ohanaeze, and not targeted on his leadership because there’s no crisis of leadership in the Youth Wing, Isiguzoro stated.

[Breaking Times]