The pro-Biafran group, IPOB, had through its spokesman, Emma Powerful, accused the commissioner of recruiting armed criminals who are allegedly being used to intimidate, silence, and kill anyone who questions his rascality, and also using the criminal gangs to impersonate IPOB and Eastern Security Network.
The allegations by the IPOB group partly read, “IPOB intelligence unit gathered that Mr Chikodili Anara, aka Igbakigba, who is coincidentally the Commissioner for Homeland Security in Anambra State, is the man responsible for the insecurity in the State. This man was the former security adviser to the previous governor of Anambra State. He recruited armed criminals who are being used to intimidate, silence, and kill anyone who questions his rascality.”
But reacting to the claims in a statement made available to journalists in Awka, Anara, described the allegations as baseless, unfounded and total lies, saying that the IPOB’s spokesman was only blackmailing him after several attempts to extort money from him failed.
The commissioner also identified two of individuals from Isuaniocha community (names withheld) as those sponsoring Powerful against him, after he (Anara) petitioned them over a murder charge, for which they were arrested and detained before they allegedly bribed their way out and fled into self-exile.
He said, “In 2022, Emma Powerful called me and told me he had a story against me. He demanded that I pay him money to drop the publication. He later called again and told me the same story, which I ignored.
“He has been out to blackmail me, and has been calling me since then, and I have told him expressly that I will never part with a Kobo. Today, he has gotten his friends, and two brothers who are involved in a murder case here in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area and they are sponsoring him to write against me.
“I am not surprised about the write-up. The truth is that Emma Powerful (Whoever he is) is doing a paid job. I have severally invited him if he is genuine, to come for a meeting, if he thinks he can help solve the problem of insecurity we are facing in the state.
“I need to inform Emma Powerful that the Anambra Vigilante Group has existed for many years before I came into office and was not created because of IPOB which is a new and recent creation.”
He therefore called on Emma Powerful, to make himself visible for a proper dialogue on how to end insecurity in the entire South-East region.
