The funniest set of individuals are people who think Peter Obi's baby voice is a reflection of who he is.

The truth is, the title Okwute was not only because he was named after Peter the Rock but because the faint voiced, baby faced business man gave kidnappers, insurrectionists and armed robbers hell and chased them out of Anambra State.

I was born and brought up in Onitsha and I had prior to Peter's coming, lived through more than 30 daylight bank robbery.

If you lived in Onitsha then, you'd remember bikemen chasing after white or yellow Mitsbushi L300 bus popularly known and referred to as Onu Azụ to collect their own share of the loot.

Yes, their own share.

Bank robbers rob banks, bikemen and other brave road users go after them effectively blocking any attempts by police to chase them, bank robbers continue shooting in the air and then after a while, open the back of the bus and spray part of their loots for these men to pick.

We lived through the legend of the female bank robbers leader who was also their main shooter.

It was also the time when things like 'stray bullet' (Umunachi people call it 'strange bullet') entered our dictionary. Unfortunate bystanders get hit and kikled by bullets from these marauding thieves.

Upper New Market Road, New Market Road and Old Market Road which was effectively the Central Business District in Onitsha played host to most of the banks in the city was turned into a war zone at least once a month.

Police morale was so low that we all heard stories of police men and women wearing civilian clothes under their uniform, vigilante groups stepped into the lacuna created but with poor funding and legislation weighing them down, there was so much they could do and they most times paid the ultimate price (May the soul of Ideke and the souls of all the brave men and women who died protecting Onitsha continue to rest in peace).

While armed robbers were rampaging on one end, kidnappers led by Evans and other kingpins were cherry picking the elites in the city, Ezego, GUO and a host of others were kidnapped, some kidnaps happened within church premises, schools, eateries and the rest.

And then the third end of the criminal trident was made up of petty criminals hiding under the flag of the rising sun and the name MASSOB to hold the commercial city hostage, most people who lived in Onitsha South area of the metropolis will most likely remember that MASSOB under Uwazurike was running an alternate government there, collecting duties and levies and enforcing their own laws.

And then there was Upper Iweka, yes, that Upper Iweka, the name alone sent chills down the spines of travellers and residents, people were robbed there during the day and at night and if they were unfortunate enough, they lost more than their possessions.

Then in comes this 'baby faced, faint voiced former bank manager' who did the impossible and wrestled power from a sitting governor.

We were bemused to put it lightly and we called him names Adaobi Rita Obi, Ogbono Nkita Obi, amongst others.

Because we were a people in love with our chains, we fought against this new order, we composed mocking songs amongst others.

But this man ignored us and set out to work.

By the time he was done, Oso MASSOB has happened in Fegge, Evans and others abandoned the state, bank robberies and armed robbery effectively ended, and Upper Iweka got a new face-lift, even agberos self collect under Peter Obi, nobody going against the law had it easy under him.

He advocated for a law that gave the state the powers to confiscate and demolish premises belonging to kidnappers and other criminal elements and he followed through to the letter.

I remember the midnight and early morning raids, living in Ime Ogbe then, we all woke up to hearing doors being broken and known criminal elements whisked away.

Community policing was strengthened as vigilant groups got operating vehicles and other supports from the government, citizens could report crimes and the locations of criminal elements without fear of being exposed.

We went from a state where thieves wrote open letters to homes and communities and still brazenly carry out their threats to a state where one could go to sleep with both eyes closed.

And all these happened under a man who you all said that he doesn't have chukwuka abi chutzpah.

Okwute aburo guy name ooo.

And if he says he no dey give shishi, don't believe him ooo, he gave criminals in the state hell.

Daddy Gachi.

#PeterIsBetter

— Iveanyirochukwu Ayobamidele Obio-Nwokedi �

Anambra was hell then...you forgot to mention that our dear Pete Edochie was kidnapped during that period

Very, very true account of security in anmabra then.

This is one of the reasons why i laugh when some peeps say Peter cannot handle Nigerian security.

You see a single minded man or woman, fear them

Obi is the man

Reason I always laugh at people who doubt the man's capacity and doubt his resolve LMAO!!

I was a student traveling through onitsha to Enugu so I know exactly what the OP is talking about.

I stayed at Asaba peter obi was God sent then to Ndi Anambra

Foolishbuhari:
Reason I always laugh at people who doubt the man's capacity and doubt his resolve LMAO!!

I was a student traveling through onitsha to Enugu so I know exactly what the OP is talking about.

This your name sha

nameo:


This your name sha

But na the truth na

The Oso MASSOB got me. All the main Agbero kingpins ran away for months from Anambra, some went to hide in their villages because Okwute was on rampage.

Evans and gang left Onitsha for him. Osisikankwu, Ngwuekereomu, paid the ultimate price for daring Okwute. The sure thing is that Nigeria under Okwute would be too hot for criminals. That guy na silent warrior.