Buildings at Idemili North Council Area secretariat, Ogidi, and a Magistrate Court in the area have been burnt down by arsonists.
Witnesses say gunmen entered the buildings in the early hours of Monday and set files on fire before razing down everything else.
Videos and pictures circulating online show the entire building were reduced to rubble, while vehicles parked inside the Local Council secretariat were also burnt.
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the development, which it attributed to unidentified arsonists.
“Yes, the incident was confirmed, and our men were there to restore normalcy.
“Right now, the fire has been put off, and calm has been restored to the area,” the spokesperson of the Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga said.
Anambra State has witnessed increasing arson, kidnappings, killings, and gun battles since the last quarter of 2021, in what many believe is a move by the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to assert its influence in the state.
ESN is the armed wing of the separatist group, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), which is seeking a breakaway of Eastern Nigeria and some parts of the South-South and North Central.
The group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu is on trial for alleged treason and terrorism.
Soludo Visits Nnamdi Kanu
Over the weekend, the Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo visited him at a facility of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja where he is being detained.
The visit is to facilitate lasting peace and security in the South East, according to Governor Soludo.
I visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on Friday, 13th May, 2022 to felicitate with him and also as part of the wider consultations with critical stakeholders in search of lasting peace and security in the South East. pic.twitter.com/0lQMShiLT8
— Chukwuma Charles SOLUDO, CFR (@CCSoludo) May 15, 2022
The governor said Mazi Kanu told him how sad he was with the state of security in the region.
“He expressed sadness over what he describes as ‘sacrilegious killings’ of innocent persons, kidnappings, and all forms of criminalities, including the brutal enforcement of the senseless ‘sit at home’ perpetuated by sundry groups claiming to be acting for or on behalf of IPOB,” Governor Soludo tweeted on Sunday.
He expressed sadness over what he described as “sacrilegious killings” of innocent persons, kidnappings and all forms of criminalities, including the brutal enforcement of the senseless “sit at home” perpetuated by sundry groups claiming to be acting for or on behalf of IPOB.
— Chukwuma Charles SOLUDO, CFR (@CCSoludo) May 15, 2022
The governor also said Mazi Kanu was willing to personally broadcast to his followers to maintain the peace.
