Stakeholders of Ikem Uno community in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State have expressed growing concern over worsening insecurity allegedly linked to the activities of a suspected armed criminal gang operating within the area.
They alleged that the group emerged during the nationwide EndSARS protests in 2020 and has since developed into an organised network; accused of violent attacks, kidnappings and intimidation of residents.
Some of the stakeholders resident in living in Enugu spoke at a media briefing on Monday in Enugu.
The Ikem Uno indegines who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the gang first came into prominence during the unrest that followed the EndSARS demonstrations in the community.
They alleged that the hoodlums attacked the local police station, burnt a police operational vehicle, vandalised public facilities and destroyed the palace of the traditional ruler during the period.
They said that the incidents marked the beginning of persistent violent activities that had continued to threaten peace and security in the community.
The sources further alleged that the group currently operated through a coordinated structure with different units handling recruitment, armed enforcement, dispute settlement and punitive operations.
They claimed that the existence of an internal command structure had enabled the gang to maintain influence across parts of the community despite repeated complaints by residents.
“The situation has become alarming because many people now live in fear.
“Some prominent families have relocated while businesses and farming activities have declined significantly,” they alleged.
The spokesperson of the group who also pleased anonymity alleged that the gang had become heavily armed and increasingly emboldened, with reports of ongoing recruitment and suspected ties to external criminal networks.
The community further alleged that the group financed its operations through ransom payments from kidnapping victims, extortion, land disputes, internet fraud and illegal sales of public infrastructure materials.
The group claimed that victims of violent assaults, intimidation and forced displacement had remained silent over fears of attacks and reprisals from suspected gang members.
The stakeholders who called for urgent intervention by state and Federal Government to contain insecurity in the area expressed concern over what they described as weakening traditional authority and declining public confidence in local institutions due to the lingering insecurity.
“The atmosphere of fear is affecting social cohesion and economic activities within the community and people no longer feel safe,” the group alleged.
The sources linked the gang to alleged kidnappings; killings, unlawful possession of firearms, violent attacks, harassment of residents, attempted killings and destruction of property including stealing of rail track sleepers across parts of the community.
The stakeholders therefore called on security agencies and government authorities to urgently intervene by intensifying intelligence gathering, dismantling suspected criminal hideouts and prosecuting anyone found culpable, while also supporting displaced residents and rebuilding public confidence in the community. ENDS//
