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The invasion of a school in Isu-Aniocha, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, by land speculators on Tuesday has left the principal, some staff and students of the school with various degrees of injury.
The injury, it was gathered, happened while they were making effort to question and stop the invaders from carrying out their mission.
The invaders were said to have broken into the community secondary school and sold it out to unsuspecting persons in parcels with the aid of some people in government.
Speaking on the issue, the President General (PG) of Isu-Aniocha Development Union (IDU), Chief Anthony Onyeagolu accused former Local Government Chairman of Awka South, Chief Cosmas Okonkwo, of spearheading the problem.
He said the ex-chairman equipped the former Youth Leader whom he (PG) sacked and his group to attack the community at the weekend and they maimed many and destroyed properties including buildings and vehicles.
Onyeagolu called on the state government to intervene in the matter saying that without government’s intervention, the problem may lead to bloodshed.
His words: “The way things are going, if the Governor does not intervene now it might lead to bloodshed, and that we don’t want in this community.
“The former Chairman of Awka North Local Government, Cosmas Okonkwo, and his group went it the Community Secondary School Isu-Aniocha land and divided it into two claiming that it was his kindred that gave the land for the school and that they were taking their land back.
“We summoned meeting and warned that nobody should go to that land as it was for the school and his kinsmen said their hands were not in his move and action.
“I went to Ghana and was there when my people called that he Cosmas Okonkwo had gone back to the land, brought caterpillars and cleared the land destroying the crops the teachers planted and surveyed put beacons.
“He parcelated the land and gave some to some government people and ministry of lands and sold some. He built block walls and three stalls and put the inscription of Military zone all over the place.
“When the education authorities in the state directed the teachers and students to pull down the walls and they did, Cosmas Okonkwo mobilized thugs and they beat up the teachers and students, gave the principal and vice serious injury and the students were chased out of the school.
“The matter was reported to CPS Awka, police came and arrested people working in the said land but they were released after somebody allegedly called from Government House and they went back to continue work on the school/community land and the police did nothing again to the attack on the teachers and students.
“We want the Governor to intervene in this matter, we want to know those government officials behind this because they are also using the Governor's name, that he was aware of their taking of the land.
“We have written petitions to the Ministry of Education and Governor but have not heard from them and our people are agitated.”