Revealed: How OCDA GM, Ikpeamezie, Wife Brutalized, Dehumanized Me- Chinyere Opara

By Chinyere Nwaneri.

The reign of impunity and abuse of office does not appear to be abating in the state if the allegation against the General Manager, Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) is anything to go by.

Reports gathered by News Echo indicates that in the August 2021 meeting of Afara Women one of the officers, Lolo Chinyere Tony Opara who had issues with the leadership of the women was attacked by the wife of the OCDA General Manager who hit her with a shoe on the skull.

In her words, “On the 19th August 2021, I went to our annual August general meeting. I had some problems with the women executives and we were trying to sort it out before all of a sudden the executives went out and had their own little meeting and returned to the hall.

“One of the women, Ebere Anyanwu slapped me and pushed me. When I regained my strength to face them, Mrs. Chidimma Ikpeamezie, the wife of the OCDA GM removed her hilly slippers and hit me on the head and opened my skull. When I saw the blood rushing out I had to get back at her; gave her a bite at the bicep and arm which made her to go out and call her husband.

“While we were still in the meeting trying to sort out things, the husband came in with some armed thugs, met me at the gate, bundled me away, dehumanized me, rolled me on the floor, tore my clothes, removed my wrapper, made away with my handbags. I now asked them where they are taking me to. They didn’t disclose. Some villagers had to alert my husband, Barr. A. A. Opara who incidentally was one time Ikpeamezie’s boss; when my husband was Vice Chairman, Mbaitoli Council. Ikpeamezie was his P.A on Admin.

“When they were taking me away I saw my husband coming through the window I beckoned and shouted I don’t know where they were taking me to. He made a move to block the vehicle but the bus carefully swerved and made away with me. Ikpeamezie ordered his boys to beat my husband, they beat him to stupor, used their AK 47to puncture his vehicle, hit his lapse, and punctured his two tyres. When we got to the police station at the State CID, I noticed they were taking me to the State Investigation Bureau; I brought my phone to make some calls to inform my people where I was taken to, Ikpeamaezie told them to collect my phone and my phone was shattered into pieces.

“I was brought in where I met DSP Emeka Achonu, I was still bleeding, full of blood and I requested for medical attention, the DSP told me that I will die here if I don’t make statement. I requested to know the charges brought against me, he said I want to tell him that I know the law and that he is going to deal with me ruthlessly. I pleaded with him to speak to my husband who is a lawyer, he refused insisting that I must make a statement; meanwhile they are with my phone.

“I had no option than to oblige and made my statement under duress, even the Emeka Achonu did not allow me to put down the names of the people in the hall when the thing happened. He said that I should just write that the thing happened in the hall and I told I was flanked by some women during the incident and he said that he has told me what to write.  When I wanted to make further comments he didn’t allow that but now started putting words into my mouth, telling me to write as he said after which he gave me a Police Proforma, that was around 9 o’clock. I bled from after 2pm till 9pm, that was when I could be given medical attention.

“On getting there the police advised that I be admitted  but Achonu refused telling the police doctor to give me all the medicines that I needed because he was taking me back to the police station. By 3pm the next day I had fits and rigour, one Inspector Ignis called on him that Madam is having a serious crisis; he said that he should call one Darlington who was nowhere to be found until about 11am the following day. When we got back to the hospital the new doctor we met advised that I should be admitted which he still refused.

“When Prof Viola Onwuliri made a call to the CP that I should be released what Emeka Achonu did was to switch off his phone from that Saturday to around 11am Monday and was asking him to give him the money he spent on my behalf and I told him I had nothing to give. This is how I was dehumanized and my rights infringed on when I came to the police on Thursday 19th August by 2pm until I left by Monday 23, by 5.30pm. I fainted on Saturday because I had nothing to eat until one police men bought food for me when I fainted. Meanwhile I have been given an arraignment notice to appear at the Nwaorieubi Court on the 31st August on a charge of grievous harm/wounding.

“What I guess made Ikpeamezie’s wife to attack me was because he came to the meeting with a police orderly and believe that they are in power which they boasts of cowing Afara people into fears because according to her they have the police they have the judiciary, that they can do anything and get away with it. They believe that they are a force to fight me. Even the police people were telling me that this is two fighting and that two of us are supposed to be here. The people that beat me have been walking freely and boasting that they are using me to set example.

When our reporter spoke with the OCDA GM he first disputed the source of the story claiming it couldn’t have come from the woman but a secondary source, and went ahead to say ‘’the woman cannot tell you this thing you are saying now. If you say the woman told you this and you are sure of it publish whatever the woman told you. He denied the allegation saying, “brother I don’t go with thugs and I don’t have any reason to, a government official parading thugs? Why do you people make news when there is no news? You know my office I am a government person, if you have anything against me you can come to my office and see me. You cannot be engaging me on a matter that is belated overtaken by event. I am not here to make news I am already an image maker, my records are good all over the place.’’

When News Echo contacted the State PPRO Mike Abattam, he acknowledged of the incident but stated that everything is under investigation assuring that justice will prevail. The President of the Afara women first denied knowledge of the victim as an officer of the Union but later said that ‘’she was the first to beat somebody’’

However, a concerned youth in the community volunteered that possible political undertone may be at the root of the matter because according to him the victim is an Mbaise woman, from the same clan as Ihedioha and a strong PDP stalwart. There may be an attempt to silence her as 2023 approaches, he concluded.