An Ebonyi State business man and chief executive officer of Old and sons Enterprises, a firm that majorrs in the business of granite, chippings and trucks, Mr. Olu Ernest Ndukwe, popular known as Ya’adua has cried out to the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi, Awosola Awotunde, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi and other relevant agencies to come to his rescue immediately as a group of individuals are threatening to kill him and take over his business.
Narrating his ordeal to journalists in Abakalike, the Ebonyi State capital, Mr. Ndukwe said the whole incident started on 14th of June, 2019. “I was in my office around after 4 in the evening, a group of boys came to my garage, chased away my workers and one Mr. Albert Umeh Okorie, Innocent Chukwu, Augustine Eke Ajah, Solomon Ogbonnaya (a.k.a OTENKWU), Emenike Ajah, Ebere Ajah, Ezeogwu(a.k.a AA). They stormed into my garage with all manner of weapons, took 500 thousand naira from my office and also stole tires and other valuable things in the office. After the attack, when they pushed me out of office, I hid somewhere where I took pictures of them with weapons. He continued thus “I called the D.P.O. I informed him of what happened and the need to arrest those people. The only thing he told me was that the people also destroyed his own Hilux while they where they were having problems somewhere”
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O) incharge of Ivo Divisional Police Station, Ebonyi State, Gabriel Urom did not make any arrest to that effect. Then “on Sunday morning being 16th of the same month, that’s after two days, I was preparing to go to church, I now sighted from a distance this same group of boys and others with all manner of weapons; guns, machetes, chain, axe and other things pointing towards my church and where I used to park my car. On sensing danger, I went back to the house. About after 11, that same Sunday morning, they stormed into the church with that same weapons, going roll by roll in Assemblies of God Church, Amaokwe, in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area. So they came searching for me inside the church, going roll by roll. By that time we were in worship session. My family was in church. They were raising people who were worshipping one by one looking for me.
This incident, Mr. Ndukwe noted that his Pastor confronted them and queried why they were looking for him and the guys replied that they must kill him. He said, it was then that the Pastor quickly called the D.P.O, who also sent a van with a team of Police but he regretted that the Police came and meet with the people within the church premises instead of arresting them, the Police just asked them to leave the church. He said “then I now called the D.P.O, who came to my hiding place and took me to the station where I made entry that Sunday. After making entry, the D.P.O assured me that he is going to arrest them. I also gave their pictures”.
Mr. Ernest Ndukwe alleged that the D.P.O, Mr. Gabriel Urom knows them very well but has consistently shown unwillingness to arrest them. He continued thus “So, by 3:30 that same Sunday, they came back to my garage, because the first one they destroyed 3 trucks after stealing my money. So on that Sunday when they came, they chased away both the security and other staff . They came with all manner of weapons and destroyed 6 more trucks”, this he said included his newest trucks and windscreen. He said even after making entry of threat to his life, in which the D.P.O sent the D.C.O who came and meet those guys destroying his property, they were not arrested, rather in the night those criminal elements kidnapped one of the drivers and mandated the driver to disguise and call to find out his location, luckly enough, Mr. Ndukwe had left for Enugu that night and told the driver that he was not within.
However, he later had access to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who took actions that led to the arrest of 5 persons out of which two were not part of those that destroyed his vehicles.
When press men tried to find out the possible reason behind the threat of life to the business man, he said he can’t relate it to any thing apart from unnecessary envy against him by the young men , who he said are from Okwe whereas himself is from Amaokwe in the same Ishiagu, Ivo LGA. He further said that
“These people are not members of my union neither am I having any problem with them ” and worries why they should be after his life”.
He equally informed that he does business with a quarry company known as Pioneer Shining Cino Investment while the boys have been approaching new company that
that deals on quarry sites, Chruch Rocked Industry Nig. limited and these people have been fighting for these companies to include them to be benefiting as land owners of the sites.
Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, who sensed compromise on the side of the Police officers had already sued his traitors to court and the case was supposed to come up on 17th July but has been shifted. His greatest fear now is that they have threatened to kill him on the day they would be appearing in court next week”they threatened that on the day of the court, that they are going to kill me along the road. That somebody has assured them that they would say it is riot. That nothing would happen and Police is by their side. That Police wouldn’t do anything”.
He requests government to save his life, family and business from his traitors, whom he said have conspired to kill him.
Efforts to reach the State Police Command for its comments proved abortive.
