Fear: Flood menace, dilapidated roads cause kidnapping, armed robbery in Ogidi community - residents cry out...demand Soludo immediate intervention
By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha
Unless Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State comes to our rescue based on the devastating effect of flooding and poor state of our roads, that result in loss of lives and property, the incessant kidnapping and armed robbery in our Ogidi community will continue unabated as all efforts made to checkmate them proved abortive.
An umbrella body of the residents called, 'Okeluche Landlord Association', Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra state, made this assertion while lamenting the ordeal residents of the area are going through sequel to the dilapidated condition of her environment, Vinas road in particular.
Fielding questions from newsmen while being taken round to assess the extent of damages done and scenes of the violent crimes by the chairman, Nzekwesili Michael, (flanked by executive members), he disclosed that areas in urgent need of government intervention include, Vinas road that leads to Enugu/Onitsha Expressway, adjascent to Building materials International market and Synthetic Material market, that connects to boropit, Ogbe Etiti, Keluche to 3-3 Onitsha, among others.
"We are always in trouble whenever it rains, we will be trapped in this Vinas road for about four hours because of the type of flood that submerges the road.
"If you mistakenly get to the road when it is raining, your name will be sorry as you will be a victim of the flood, and may lose your life. We have lost many people sequel to the flooding, a member of our landlords association, Mr Hyginus Odike, lost his life in the flood. He was already on the road when the flood submerged the road, hit his head on the culvert and washed him away and after eight days we got his corpse at Nkisi river, River Niger bound.
"1We are particular about this Vinas road that has been in this poor state since the existence of this community. We have lost uncountable souls on this road, including Okada man, keke man, and students due to devastating flooding effect. We continue to lose souls anytime it rains, we are pleading to our amiable Governor, (Oluatuegwu), Charles Chukwuma Soludo to come to our rescue because we have suffered enough on this road.
"We have spent a lot of money on this road, buying sand, stone, cement, for the road and gutter, after repairing it, when it rains again, all those works will be damaged again. We are tired of putting money on this road yet to no avail, let our governor remember us, let him come to Mesopotamia and help us, as he does to others," Michael pleaded.
In his own contribution, the chairman of Vinas road committee, High Chief Mmaduakonam Daniel Mgbako, revealed that, "We have spent over #25 million on this road as a result of flash flood.
"Our main lamentation on this road was the day one of our members was coming back from the market and on stepping into the flood, it washed him away, that same day, children that were going home from school lost their lives with their mothers that were rushing to rescue them.
"That fateful day all the schools within this area were submerged, and till now whenever it rains we experience same ugly situation and that is why we plead to Soludo to save us from this hardship.
"A lot of people have been kidnapped here on daily basis mostly any day it rains and ransom of #11 million, #8 million as the case maybe, are extorted as ransom payment and if you fail to pay immediately you will be a dead person.
"Even yesterday, a man was trying to drop someone here, and immediately they rushed him and picked him, many motorcycles (Okadas), have been snatched on this road.
"To curb the ugly incidents we have installed a lot of street lights and monitors to make sure it stopped but to no avail.
A boy that his master newly settled was kidnapped here and he paid a ransom of #11 million. Most people are not coming back home, some are lodging in hotels because of these unfortunate incidents," he lamented.
Chief Apeh Chukwunonso, the Public Relations Officer, PRO of the landlord association and Chief Security Officer of the community, said, "We are tired of contributing money on this road, all these crises is due to this bad Vinas road. Our chairman on a fateful day due to devastating flooding, on return stopped to assess the road he will follow to get home and was immediately rushed to by armed robbers and on trying to escape with his vehicle, they pushed him into the big gutter and his vehicle turned upside down.
"They thought he was dead and ran away, he managed to come out of the gutter, the next day we brought out the vehicle.
"Two days ago, Okada man with a pregnant woman he was carrying fell down on the road and another incident was that a lady that lost her child on the flood came and fought us because of this road.
"Whenever it rains, we must work on our transformer because the flood will submerge it. We are calling on our governor to come to our rescue", he pleaded.
Mrs Gift Ifeme, a tenant of the community lamented that since they packed into the community, they have been suffering, stating that, "We are trying to pack out and they are telling us that it will be over yet nothing has been done.
"I have shop on this road, whenever it rains, if you are not lucky to come out of that shop, you are going with that flood. It is a big shame to our government that this kind of thing is happening on this road almost on daily basis.
Iloh Sabastine, a passer-by lamented that they are always trapped on the main road till 12 midnight to 2am waiting for the flood to subside, we repaired our vehicle on daily basis, I change my motor engine two times because of this road, I am not talking of my shock absorber, we are calling on our government to come to our rescue before the flood sends us to our untimely death," he pleaded
