The Police in Enugu State has deployed Armoured Personnel Carriers and detachment of its officers to restore peace at a renewed violence in Oruku community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state.
The new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Mohammed Aliyu, disclosed this on Sunday when he paid an on-the-spot visit to the community.
Aliyu, accompanied by top officers of the command and riot policemen, also restored normalcy to the community, which renewed violence broke out on Saturday, Jan. 23.
“We are appealing to the good people of Oruku community to give peace a chance.
“The police is continuing its investigation on what led to the death of the traditional ruler of the community that instigated the present wave of crisis in the community,’’ he said.
According to him, we are leaving behind a detachment of riot policemen as well as some armoured personnel carriers to restore peace in the community.
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Aliyu however, did not give the number of casualties so far in the fresh wave of crisis but sources said as much as 15 lives were lost while more than 30 houses were burnt.
The locals within the community said that heavy gunshot rented the air on Saturday night in the area causing many residents to abandon their houses and ran into the bush for safety.
The cause of the new wave of crisis followed the Dec. 26, 2020 killing of the traditional ruler of Oruku community, Igwe Emmanuel Mba, by police officers.
The recent destruction is coming few days after the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which was set up by the Enugu State Government to look into the causes of the crisis, called for Memoranda from the general public.
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, headed by Justice Harold Eya to investigate and ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the recent crisis that erupted in Oruku community, which led to the killing of the community’s traditional ruler.
