It appears it is now a case of hunger and malnutrition for insurgents terrorizing Lilu Community in Ihiala Council Area of Anambra State in the past five years, as their numerical strength reportedly dwindles.
They recently invaded the community again, but this time, resorted to stealing foodstuffs, including dogs, yams, fowls, and goats.
They also moved from house to house and carted away bags of rice and other palliatives donated to the ravaged community by the Chief Executive of Air Peace airline, Chief Allen Onyema, who hails from a neighboring community, Mbosi.
The hoodlums, according to local and security sources were reported to have literally become hysterical since the Youths took over control of the security, peace, and representation of Lilu last year.
The insurgents, the News Chronicles correspondent gathered, also bitterly blamed the renewed and enriched conversation about their nefarious activities in the area on a well-attended Lilu Youth Development Forum(LYDF) conference with the theme: “Productive Youths, Peaceful Community” held recently.
The initial permutations of insurgents, according to security sources, got badly distorted with more ideas generated at the conference.
The citizens’ initial fears and reluctance to come out or discuss the issue had given the hoodlums a false impression of invisibility and bravado.
But the speed with which the Youth Conference was planned and executed took them by surprise, our source learnt.
The Conference which was held at the Ihiala Council Headquarters, got a big boost with the attendance of the traditional ruler of Lilu, Igwe Godson Onyediri, members of his cabinet, top stakeholders, and local and foreign development partners/investors who he brought from USA to help turn the economy of Lilu around.
The pressure mounted on the hoodlums since the youths sustained media presence and round-the-clock security monitoring to avoid sweeping their challenges under the carpet, has encouraged every citizen of the area to join the struggle to flush out all the social misfits from their surrounding bushes and communities has evidently become unbearable.
Onyediri noted that on Monday, the insurgents who operate in commando guerrilla style invaded their community again, carting all the yuletide stock of edibles in their homes, especially the bags of rice, other palliatives donated and distributed by kind-hearted citizens.
“We were shocked they invaded people’s premises and took away dogs, fowls, goats, tubers of yam etc.
“This, wasn’t too surprising due to the noose tightly gripping their necks and waists right now from diverse corners,” he said.
The monarch expressed strong belief that the countdown of the end of the days of their nefarious enterprise has since begun, “with the daily aerial and ground surveillance of the Odochi stream axis and the stretch bothering Lilu, and Ezinifite communities, both in Anambra State and Orsuihiteukwa community in Imo State where they had initially taken as their inviolable abode and safe haven.”
Investigations equally disclosed that kidnap/robbery victims, rapes, fetish rituals, and other heinous acts were usually carried out here.
“But now, they have become aware that they are now naked as virtually everyone, including the police, the soldiers, and the locals, etc now know their location, the routes, biting hunger, very poor numerical and logistical challenges, hence currently very vulnerable from multiple fronts,” the Igwe concluded.
