Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
The fallout from the Onitsha fire carnage has taken a new turn with the state government at the weekend alleging sabotage in the two major fire disasters earlier in the month, suggesting that they were not purely accidental but as a result of foul play.
The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Political Matters, Hon. Ifeatu Obiokoye, who said this in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, mentioned that the government is in no doubt that there was political mischief behind in the fatal fire incidents.
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According to him, the Directorate of State Service has already arrested a man who allegedly recorded and posted on social media the two incidents, and an earlier robbery at a petrol station in Onitsha the day Operation Kpochapu 11 was launched, and that he was giving useful statements.
Explaining why the government was suspecting sabotage and the connection of the man arrested to the whole thing, Obiokoye said: “I want to begin with something that happened; a publication on Friday morning, even before the launching of the security equipment. There was a report online, we all read it when we were at Ekwueme Square. Incidentally, in the afternoon, that attack happened.
“The coincidence or the mischief of it all was that while the Governor was launching all that security, some people were creating this scenario that Anambra State was still vulnerable to armed robbery attacks because the attack on the filling Station in Onitsha happened in the afternoon even when we were still at Ekwueme Square. That was the beginning of a series of criminality.
“We now come back to Onitsha; you find out that we had two incidents: the one of Upper Iweka/Ochanja the first day. Then, the very next day, there was another at Omogba. In each case, the head of the tanker was disengaged from the body and one will still be asking how that can happen without some manual manipulations.
“In that of Onitsha, the tanker head itself rammed into Toronto Hospital wall while the tanker itself fell into the gutter and discharged oil. In that of Omogba, the tanker itself moved down, moved away from the scene, nothing happened to the tanker head but its body also fell. It is spurious, it is doubtful but we put a question mark on that and allow people to judge for themselves. We also have on records; luckily, he [the suspect] has been picked up by the people of DSS. You find out that the same voice that recorded the scene at Upper Iweka was also recording the scene at Ochanja, and that same voice recorded the scene of the accident at Omogba the very next day.
“The voice never introduced himself, but it was there to show pictures and now to thoroughly criticize the government of Anambra State as being a useless government. When it was noticed by modern technology, we’ve been able to pick up that person and he’s been making useful statements.”
Obiokoye, decrying that the tragedy had shown clearly that people are willing to play politics with human lives, called on the people of the state to be alert to their environment.
“So, for us in government, we have no doubt that there is political criminality in the whole process. It was not purely an accident. It’s unfortunate that people will play politics with the lives of our own people. People will go to the extent of destroying the lives and property of the people of Anambra State in their bid to make some political gains,” he said.
“I say this as an insider in government; some of these information you will find perhaps at the end of the panel report, but I’m preempting all of us to know that there is a need as our brother’s keepers, as N’digbo,to begin to be more alert to our environment, to begin to be more sensitive to our environment because we have seen that people can go to any extent to play this politics. It’s very unfortunate and I must condemn it in all terms.”