Christian Genocide: gunmen attack Anglican church in Anambra, kill Priest’s wife and others

Anambra State Police Command has confirmed that “armed criminals” attacked Anglican church at Lilu in Ihiala local government area.

At the time when worshippers were about to start Sunday service yesterday at St. Andrews Anglican Church, eyewitness said, armed persons broke into the church premises. They started shooting sporadically.

In the end they brutally murdered the Priest’s wife and one other person while leaving several others half-dead.

Also, the hoodlums burnt down part of the church building, razed to ashes the cleric’s resident and destroyed holy items and several vehicles inside the church premises.

This morning, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said the Command “condemned in the strongest terms” the attack.

“The [Commissioner of Police] states that this heinous and abominable act, committed against innocent worshippers, is not only an assault on the community, but a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship,” Ikenga said.

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Why the assailants could accomplish all these and went away without being intercepted calls to question the seriousness of state security agencies. Yet again, the dastard act is another reminder of the existential threats facing Christian community in Nigeria.

US President Donald Trump has designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, threatening to intervene militarily because of Christian genocide going on in the country.

Why Rep Anayo Onwuegbu will still win in 2027 – Analysis

As dates for campaigns for 2027 elections draw nearer, political hopefuls are getting serious with their calculations.

In Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River federal constituency plots, conspiracies and schemes are already underway; with them lie the thrills and betrayal that would spice the drama during the electioneering campaigns. But Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu, member representing the zone in the House of Representatives, has enormous advantages.

He has already joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside Governor Peter Mbah and others. Also, he has promised, or have started providing, support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term reelection bid. In other words, Engr. Onwuegbu is in the right and powerful circles both at the state and federal levels – an unequal advantage that makes him taller than any prospective opponents in the coming race.

But his strength will come mostly from the fact that most of the hopefuls that would be competing with him are plain idiots.

In Aninri, some persons can no longer hide their intent to challenge the lawmaker at the polls. One of them, deploying his loyalists on social media, has started badmouthing Engr. Onwuegbu, claiming that he is occupying the chance meant for the people of Aninri. This man’s strategy is easy to see through – he hopes to exploit people’s sentiments and unite the council area against Onwuegbu.

But that strategy shows the brains of a fool, and it’s not going to hold water. For one thing, the plan fails to consider the interests of one man who holds greatest influence in Aninri politics at the moment.

Emerging from the shadows, Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku rode to prominence when Governor Mbah “anointed” him candidate for Aninri chairmanship in August 2024. Since then, the young man, after winning, has worked tirelessly to fasten his grips to power.

Time and time again, he has said publicly his intentions for second-term in 2026. And he has the governor’s ears like no other Aninri chairman ever did, having secured his present position without the help of the so-called kingmakers in Aninri politics.

Governor Peter Mbah would be relying on Nwanjoku to win Aninri in 2027, and the young man is absolutely capable. All his plans are not known, but it certainly can’t be his plan to support anyone from Aninri to go to House of Representatives in 2027. He would be upsetting the existing status quo which he is benefiting well from.

Presently, powers are equitably shared among the three main micro-zones in Aninri. Engr. Magnus Edeh and Lloyd Ekweremadu – from Nenwe and Umunne-Ato zones – are State Assembly member and Commissioner for Youths and Sports respectively, while Prince Nwanjoku – from Oduma zone – is the chairman of the council.

Since the choice of the candidate for federal constituency would be decided early 2026, Nwanjoku is not likely to allow clannish prejudice to direct him. If he supports Aninri man going for House of Representatives he would be writing himself off as the chairmanship candidate in the next council elections around October 2026.

And the Ndumeze Prince, an ambitious person, is certainly not going to place anyone’s interests above his. His smartest moves must include working to foil any Aninri man’s attempt to replace Anayo Onwuegbu in 2027. If he does that, he himself would have ample opportunity to go for the seat in 2031.

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The chairman also knows that he cannot afford support a losing candidate. And, so far, all of them who are showing interest for Onwuegbu’s seat are losers going by their credentials.

A lot is still certain to change between now and the decision dates. But constant is the fact that Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku is a core, smart politician. If Governor Peter Mbah – the ultimate godfather – chooses to support Anayo Onwuegbu, Nwanjoku will deliver the lawmaker’s reelection bid with accuracy.

Constituents lead fight against Reps member Anayo Onwuegbu over “Utara” machine empowerment

House of Representatives member Anayo Onwuegbu is presently on the lips of his constituents – for bad.

In their thousands, angry and disillusioned voters have taken over all media platforms in the zone, overwhelming them with dirty invectives, questions and demands.

Onwuegbu, who represents Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River constituency in Enugu State, shared items this morning. Included in the gifts are motorcycles, knapsack sprayers, grinding machines and fufu (utara) pounding machines.

Whoever that inspired the idea obviously didn’t know anything about timing; nor did he understands the priorities of the people. As soon as the news about the “empowerment programme” broke, the constituents united in protests.

Apart from giving to his people what they may not necessarily need, the sharing was bias and ashamedly selective.

Also, the “empowerment” has a carelessly-hidden political undertone. Last month, the federal lawmakers vowed to “mobilise grassroots support for [Tinubu’s] second term”. Unfortunately, however, Anayo Onwuegbu lacks the kind of influence he is hoping to exert few months before the campaigns for 2027 elections kickstart. He is not in touch with the grassroots as several surveys has shown, and he is not in touch with the socioeconomic realities inside his constituency.

“Anayo Onwuegbu – do we know him? Yes, we know his name. But do we know him, I ask?” one furious constituent, Onyeka Igwe, spoke with Info Wars.

He lost abysmally to Labour Party’s Chijioke Okereke in the 2023 election. But the People’s Democratic Party – seeing the need to fight LP serious incursions in Enugu – went to court, wrenched the mandate from LP and placed it on Onwuegbu’s waiting hands.

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The ongoing backlashes would not just serve as a slap, but they also highlighted Onwuegbu’s emptiness and shown that he is a painful liability inside the circles of power brokers in the state.

His major opponents are only hoping that the protests reach ears of Governor Peter Mbah.

Kwechiri Security: Is Uzo-Uwani council chair sincere to his people?

Chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Council of Enugu State, Barr. Chijioke Ezugwu, has made a bold step – at least, in words. He launched “Operation Kwechiri” security outfit to fight insecurity in all corners of his council.

Announcing his resolve to serve his people peace, Ezugwu tried to boost the confidence of Governor Peter Mbah’s representatives who attended the event on Thursday. Particularly interesting were his readiness “to lay down my life for the people of Uzo-Uwani”.

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It was, of course, a careless hyperbolic rhetoric but the governor’s officials played along nice.

The Senior Special Assistant Security, Mr. Vincent Onyeabor, who represented the governor, expressed joy as he could “see the support, empowerment and other things being provided” for the safety of Uzo-Uwani.

Uzo-Uwani has witnessed recurrent, deadly attacks since 2016. The Nimbo massacre – where over 500 armed Fulani herdsmen swooped on the sleeping villages of Ekwuru, Nimbo-Ngwoko, Ugwuijoro, Ebor, Enugu-Nimbo, Umuome, and Ugwuachara and slaughtered nearly 100 people – occurred in Uzo-Uwani.

That time, the chairman of their Local Government, like the present one, talked tough; former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi wept and promised “accelerated help”. But those were empty words; they came to nothing. And Fulani herdsmen has continued to kill people in their numbers without consequences ever since then.

While the people hope that Ezugwu’s “Operations Kwechiri” security meets it’s purposes, a lot of others are sceptical that the launch was yet another political event – like many others.

Until a Fulani herdsman – even one person – is prosecuted for the killings, then there is nothing any politician can to say to convince a common man in Uzo-Uwani that anyone really mean to “lay down” his life for them? After all these people watched Barr. Chijioke Ezugwu and state officials leave after the speech, well shielded by armed guards.