Abia Community Installs Shrine On School Premises To Combat Theft

The Umuaka Asa community in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State has taken a bold step to curb rising incidents of vandalism and theft of public infrastructure by installing a traditional shrine meant to deter criminal activity in the area.

The community leadership, through its Traditional Prime Minister, Chief Sampson Nwaigwe, clarified that the shrine was not intended to interfere with religious freedom, particularly Christianity, as speculated in some quarters.

Speaking to journalists, Chief Nwaigwe explained that the move became necessary after repeated cases of public asset vandalism, including a recent incident where unknown criminals stole armoured cables in an electric transformer.

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“The vandalism of the transformer and other theft cases forced the community to take a traditional approach by installing the shrine. It is purely to scare and prevent further criminal activities, not to challenge any religion,” he said.

He further addressed allegations surrounding the sale of a transformer reportedly donated to the community by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). According to him, the community’s traditional ruler, Eze Sunday Nwogu, had no involvement in the alleged sale, insisting that the claims were politically motivated.

“These false reports are being peddled by an individual who contested and lost the Ezeship stool to Eze Sunday Nwogu. The intention is to tarnish the Eze’s image,” Nwaigwe added.

Also lending his voice, the Commander of Umuaka Vigilante Networking, Nwokeukwu Damian, confirmed that some of the vandalized items had been recovered and that the shrine serves as a psychological and cultural measure to bolster the community’s fight against criminality.

“We are combining vigilante operations with traditional deterrents. Criminals need to know that the community is united and prepared to protect its assets,” he said.

Refuting media reports suggesting that the shrine was a tool to suppress Christian worship, community leaders emphasized that Umuaka Asa remains a peaceful community where people of all religions, including Christianity, live and worship freely without intimidation.

The Umuaka Asa community urged the public to disregard politically-charged misinformation and focus on the joint efforts being made to secure the area and protect critical infrastructure.