Imo State Governor’s Convoy Clash with Villagers: 3 Died , Many Injured

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State narrowly escaped death Tuesday
by whiskers when some aggrieved youths of Mgbala Agwa community in
Oguta Local Government Area of the state attacked his convoy
allegedly.

247ureports reports that but for the intervention of the police and
other security agents that shot repeatedly into the air to disperse
the angry mob, something strange would have happened.

But at the last count ,no fewer than three people were reportedly dead
and dozens of youths and women severely wounded.

The incident happened just less than one month after the governor was
attacked by irate youths in Ohaji Egbema council area of the state,
when he visited the area for his re-election campaign.

But another source said the incident happened last weekend and not
Tuesday as speculated. The source said the youths were dissatisfied
and showed it by breaking wind screens of the governor's personal
vehicle and windows of about three other vehicles while seriously
denting some others.

It was gathered that the youths hurled stones and used sticks on the
convoy, accusing the state government of failing to provide any
government presence in the area as well as failing to address the
question of their traditional stool which had long been in contention.

So, when the governor went to the area to campaign and on his arrival,
the youths started shouting at him, saying "ka o puo, ka o puo(let him
go, Rochas must go)".

The main trouble started few minutes after the governor's departure,
when dozens of youths were regrouped by one of his aides and they
descended heavily on the youths who had attacked the governor.

This led a serious fight between the two groups freely used axes,
machetes, clubs on each other. In the ensuing melee, three youths were
reportedly felled while dozens others sustained varying degrees of
injuries.

According to a village source, "the boy that died in the fight are
about three because when we were running, I saw two people lying
motionless on the ground. I also noticed the other boy they were
trying to carry, but they said they left him there because he was no
longer shaking and blood has finished running from his neck."

It was learnt that many of the youths from both the PDP and APC camps
sustained machete cut injuries all over their bodies.

The state police spokesman, Andrew Enwerem, could not respond to
enquiries from our reporter, but a senior police officer told our
reporter that they do not have any business with governor's convoy and
as a result, whatever happens to him has to be reported.