IN THE BEGINNING
Before the advent of all manner of serious crimes, Owerri can be said to be the safest town in Nigeria. What makes the town very spectacular is that indigenes of Owerri, from time immemorial, are very hospitable.

Owerri people are reputed for adopting, to some extent, a care-free attitude to life and living. This attitude of the Owerri man, largely confuses a lot of people. Others took this ‘live and let live’ attitude for granted and it occasioned periodic skirmishes, especially when it bordered on glaring injustice.

The colonial masters  not only found the city very safe and attractive after their ugly experiences in some other towns but also decided to locate the defunct provincial capital in Owerri. Development started evolving.

The Owerri man does not joke with his children, leisure, music and delicacies. Good musicians abound and they played their music to the delight of all. In years past, music composers in Owerri, strictly speaking, were not worried that their works were brazenly stolen and published.

Wake keeping ceremonies, which formed part of burial obsequies in Owerri, usually turned out to be huge late night carnivals. For the musicians, it was a competition of sorts because the group that was adjudged the victor usually went home with a live cock and other freebies.

The attraction and success of these musical outings gradually snowballed into show business and music concerts. Show promoters were thus born and night life started its upward growth. In line with the new development, the hospitality industry blossomed and thrived. This was the case until the infamous Otokoto saga in Owerri.

OTOKOTO ERA

The Otokoto era started like a fairy tale. People of very questionable character loomed large and almost subdued the entire state. This class of individuals, who of course had police or army orderlies, blocked roads at will. Nobody had the gut to query them, especially as the armed security men were very ready to ward off any “intruder”.

Innocent citizens were molested arbitrarily. Hard earned properties were not just stolen but forcibly confiscated in broad day light and to the chagrin of the hapless, helpless citizens. Armed robbers equally had a field day within this period. People felt it was no longer safe to move about freely. Night life suffered.

The miscreants had their way until a little boy was beheaded and his trunk buried in the premises of Otokoto Hotel, Amakohia, Owerri North local council area of the state.

Owerri people, who were taken for granted for too long reacted angrily. Properties known to belong to all suspected 419ners and people of  questionable character were burnt. The showdown overwhelmed the security agencies. The miscreants quickly escaped from Owerri and scampered into the safe havens in other cities, especially Lagos.

SHORTLIVED PEACE

Peace gradually returned to the town and night life again started picking up. This was again short lived as a coordinated onslaught of armed robbers, assassins and kidnappers was visited on the city. The situation became a case of if you miss one, you must definitely be caught in the other.

Fear reigned supreme. Residents and visitors again ran for cover. Public functions were drowned by the high level of insecurity. People from all professions were mercilessly robbed, assassinated or kidnapped. Not even those that had police orderlies were spared! In the circumstance, movement of goods and persons suffered serious drop.

Reacting to the situation, show business guru and owner of Beaton Recording Studio, Chief Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, affirmed that night life is still alive and hinged his argument on the fact that if anyone removes night life from the easy going Owerri man, you would have completely removed everything from him.

“Night life is still alive in Owerri despite the serious security challenges facing the city and its inhabitants. Truth is that if you remove night life from the Owerri man, you have removed everything from him”, Chief Ajumbe reasoned.

Continuing, Ajumbe said that at evenings and in virtually every busy street in Owerri municipality, pub owners arrange chairs in anticipation of the evening’s customers, adding that the establishments remain open till late at night.

Addressing the issue of musical shows, Ajumbe equally said that free shows are still alive, but quickly pointed out that ticketed shows have slumped drastically except on Saturdays.

Conversely, another show promoter, Chief Vincon Uwakwe Uwandu, lamented that “show business in Owerri is dead because of the looming insecurity, high cost of publicity and hiring of venues”. Continuing, Uwandu reasoned that a large number of people no longer find it fashionable to go out in the night because of kidnapping, assassination and robbery being experienced in the state.

He passionately appealed to government to beef up security in the state, stressing that some people no longer sleep in Owerri.

They have since adopted the habit of sleeping outside and only come in to do business and leave with speed.  Whichever way anybody may look at the situation, some truths must be upheld. There is insecurity in the land and many have been victims. No economy can grow in the face of insecurity. Unless this fear is erased and quickly too, night life may never return to its original form in Owerri.