ISSEKE: Anambra Community Holds Church Services After 4 Months, As Police Partners Youths to Overpower Unknown Gunmen

By Okey Maduforo 

After over four months of non ecclesiastical activities, the people of Isseke Community in Ihiala local government area of Anambra state would held church services today, Sunday.

The development was on the account of the insecurity in the area which has lasted for three years, occasioned by the deadly menace of the gunmen in the entire Ihiala local government area up to Imo state.

On the month of June this year, gunmen stormed the St Joseph's Catholic Parish and St Mary's Anglican Parish Isseke fired several shots and stoped church services that were going on that fateful day; ordering both the clerics and their congregation to stop holding church services.

But on the 25th of September the youths and leaders of Isseke Community numbering over 130 stormed their town chanting war songs and engaged the gunmen that had taken over the town for years and made the natives flee the town for their lives.

Following the development, the Anambra state Police command disclosed that it has partnered With neighboring states against the fleeing gunmen.

Last week, the youths of Isseke Community took over their homes chasing the gunmen out of town.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the actions of the Isseke youths are highly commendable adding that the Command would continue to work with the youths in the town.

"Anambra youths are not only joining voices with the security operatives especially the Police to condemn what is happening in Isseke today.

"Security is actually everyone's business and we believe that with this corporation that we are receiving from them we believe that we can finally take more space than that this criminal elements are using to perpetrate crime"

"And we urge other communities to borrow a leaf from what the Isseke youths have done though some of them in the time past had joined them," Ikenga said.

Ikenga also announced that the Command has arrested a 64 year old man who had been extorting money from people who want to organize burials adding that he has been providing useful information to the police.

"We arrested someone they is currently in our custody, a 62 year old man allegedly involved in extorting people and we have been having this information that persons having burial ceremony pay money to these criminals and after investigations we confirmed that he is the one doing that and we arrested him and he is currently providing useful information for the police on those involved in the extortion."

He promised that the Command would look into the demands of the Isseke Community for more deployment of security personnel, but noted that what it is doing at the moment is strategic deployment.

"For us it is not all about the number of security operatives but it is about strategic deployment. We believe that with the support that we are getting from the youths we can make further effective operations"

"What we are currently doing now is strategic deployment and you know that it a boundary town to other states and communities. So we have to be very strategic about it and we need corporation with other states like Imo state to sustain the peace that we are currently enjoying. We shall put into consideration the demand of Isseke people for more deployment of officers and men," Ikenga said.