A Supretedent of Police (SP) and DPO Onitsha Main Market Police Division, Joy Ikpeama and Onitsha Area Police Commander, Gregory Itombori have distinguished themselves as heroe an heroin of the Nigerian Police, especially now that the image of the force has been severely battered.
The two Police officers displayed their gallantry recently by preventing what would have gruesomely turned an unprecedented reprisal attack against Northerners in the commercial town of Onitsha.
Rumours had been peddled in town that a yet to be identified man from the Northern part of the country had “slaughtered” an Igbo trader from Orlu in Imo State whose name was given simply as “Ugo”.
The deceased who plied his trade at Ose-Okwodu Food Stuffs Market was said to own a warehouse at the nearby No.1 Bright Street known as Umeze Shopping Complex was brutally murdered like a cow in his ware-house just adjacent to his shop where he had gone to attend to some business records.
It was reported that the said Ugo who had no premonition of death waiting on him was alone when a stranger sneaked into the ware-house (packing store) and stabbed him with a sharp knife on both sides of the neck.
The holes on the deceased neck as a result of the multiple stabs appeared like that of a slaughtered cow with heavy blood that gushed down the staircase of the one storey building to the ground floor.
However, to the chagrin of traders who were in their various shops at the ground floor and customers who had come to make purchases, no noise nor violent incident was immediately suspected until the dare – devil assasin (s) had vanished from the scene.
The whole occupants of Umeze Shopping Complex where the murder took place were said to have erupted in uncontrolled anger vibrating to have a revenge over the sad incident when some of the traders revealed that they had sighted a Hausa man who used to be a ”job man” for the murdered Ugo climb upstairs. The face could have been a familiar one to some of the aggrieved traders.
It was indeed a gruesome and horrible sight watching the lifeless body of the thirty- five year old man in the pool of his own blood who had bared his family goodbye before journeying to his normal day activity.
Last Tuesday, 25th June 2023 was indeed a very sad day for traders of Ose-Okwodu Market and their colleagues at the nearby Bright Street Market where the deceased owned a warehouse.
As people gathered to make arrangements on how to unleash mayhem on Northerners in Onitsha in a reappraisal attack over the killing of an Igbo trader by a suspected Northerner, words got to DPO, Onitsha Main Market, Joy Ikpeama a courageous and competent female Police officer who immediately mobilised Policemen to the scene and the adjoining street markets in a bid to protect the Northerners and deterioration of the incident.
Joy lkpeama who was at the time hosting the Onitsha Area Commander, Gregory Itombori (ACP) who was on a familiarisation tour to her Division sought permission of her superior and visiting Area Commander to swing into action.
This worked effectively as the ceremony was cut short to save lives. ACP Gregory Itombori alongside Policemen in his entourage and lkpeama directed all Police Divisions under Onitsha Area Command to be alert.
The Police Area Commander, Itombori addressed the aggrieved traders in solemn manner and that really worked the desired ”magic” against spilling more blood over the sin of another.
Incidentally when news had filtered into town that a suspected Northerner had murdered an Igbo trader, all Northerners in Onitsha disappeared in the night and even the following day, Wednesday. No Northerner who mostly performed menial jobs was in sight. kiosks operated by them were also shut.
Bright Street Amalgamated Traders Association Chairman where the incident happened, Chief Tony Esimoneze said in an interview that nobody could say exactly who murdered the trader.
BY SUNNY A. DAVID
