Obiano uses military, police to vandalize Anambra water Corporation, sabotaging court verdict

…as fight ensues between Govt thugs and staff

As this report is being published, no fewer than seven staff of the Anambra State Water Corporation have been seriously injured in a free-for-all fight between them and armed thugs, dangerously armed soldiers and police officers allegedly procured to ensure an unchallenged burglary of the premises.

Enquiries to the office of the state Commissioners of Public Utilities; Finance and Information yielded no result as both the telephone calls and text messages remained without response in the past two days.

While people living around the expansive premises of the Water Corporation overlooking the ever busy Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, by ‘’Step” bus stop narrated how they were rattled by sporadic gunshots that have characterized the arrival of the thugs, soldiers and policemen daily, the staff of the Corporation said they were subdued when they tried to prevent the burglary.

Calls were put across to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), “B” Division of the state police command to come to their aid, but they were disappointed to discover that he had been ‘briefed’.

When pressure mounted, the DPO quickly transferred the matter to the DPO Central Police station, Awka who reports alleged has now been supervising the Mr Emmanuel Mbanugo-led operation.

Since Tuesday, Feb 23, 2021 Mr Mbanugo, armed with a piece of paper he refused to allow any of the Corporation’s staff to read through or copy has been resuming about 8am at the Water Corporation Headquarters carting away very valuable machineries, vehicles, office equipment and heavy duty pipes and high caliber drilling items without any official of government allowed to take records or supervise.

Mbanugo had told Mr Ejiofor, a staff who dared to ask questions before the soldiers chased away everyone, that the whole items had been sold to him.

At the Ministry of Finance, a document sighted by our correspondents showed that each of the more than One thousand (1,000) high capacity pipes with a market value of above Five hundred thousand Naira each, was sold to Mbanugo for eight thousand Naira each.

About 50 units Compressor used to flush boreholes with market value of about Fifteen million Naira each was sold at Fifteen thousand each to Mbanugo. Heavy duty Valves used for drilling with market value of above five hundred thousand Naira each were sold at Fifteen thousand Naira each.

Also, an Isuzu Pickup vehicle was sold at fifteen thousand Naira.

The soldiers broke the gates, the offices, warehouses and stores where items were packed and the visitors continued to clear them out. As we write this report, just like in the past three days, the operation was going on and last into the night.

As they broke the gate keys, they chased away the workers and took positions at strategic corners to ward off any “intruders” including journalists. They always used their own keys to lock themselves in while the carting away of the items continued.

Whenever they want to close for the day, they use their own keys to lock the gates. A visit to the premises or peep through the gate show a host of items and vandalized materials litter the ground.

When calls were put to Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Cdon Adinuba and his Utilities counterpart for comments, none could respond. They equally refused to reply to series of text messages from journalists and other concerned citizens.

On further inquiry, it was discovered that the State Government and the staff have been at loggerheads where the state government refused to pay their salaries. There was speculation that the state government was closing the Corporation without clearing the backlog of salaries of the workers.