Hoodlums raze ex-senator’s residence, university study centre

Some hoodlums have razed the residence of a former senator, Frank Ibezim, in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Monday night in Nsu, a community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Ibezim represented Imo North District under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform between 2021 and 2023.

How it happened

The hoodlums were said to have set Mr Ibezim’s residence ablaze during the attack at about 9 p.m. Sources said the senator was not inside the house during the attack.

A video clip which showed the house in flames has been circulating on various social media platforms.

In the clip, some residents were heard lamenting the destruction caused by the inferno.

University complex also razed

Apart from Mr Ibezim’s residence, the hoodlums also attacked a study centre of the National Open University in the Nsu Community the same night.

Residents said the two separate attacks were carried out by the same assailants. Another video clip showed the university complex in flames.

Police speak

The police in Imo State have confirmed the attacks. In a statement on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aboki Danjuma, has condemned the attacks.

Mr Danjuma described the attacks as “senseless and unwarranted.”

“This unfortunate incident reflects a disturbing trend of violence that undermines the safety and security of our communities.

“The police Command stands firmly against such acts and will take all necessary measures in synergy with other security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.

The commissioner said he had ordered the deployment of a tactical unit of the police to track down the hoodlums.

He ordered the deputy commissioner of police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the attacks.

Connecting the Dots

The latest attacks occurred days after Mr Ibezim was accused of facilitating the establishment of an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp within the National Open University campus in the Nsu Community for people from northern Nigeria.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other pro-Biafra groups criticised the alleged plan and vowed to resist it.

IPOB, in a statement earlier on Monday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, claimed the Nigerian government was trying to “infiltrate” the South-east.

IPOB, a group leading the agitation for secession of South-east and some parts of south-south from Nigeria, has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions.

But the separatist group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.

Meanwhile, Mr Ibezim has since denied the allegation.

In a statement issued later on Monday, the former senator said the claim that he brought the federal government into the community to settle IDPs and refugees from Northern Nigeria was “entirely false.”

He explained that the university had existed since October 2023 and that he only led a delegation of the federal government to assess whether the facilities could be used for skills acquisition.

“For emphasis, I must restate that there are no plans to settle IDPs, Refugees or Migrant persons at the National Open University Centre, Nsu, Ehime Mbano LGA. Any such claim is categorically false,” he stated.

“I will never be part of such a plan. The plan is for skills training for our vulnerable young people from the South-east.”