GUNMEN MURDER 84-YEAR-OLD COMMUNITY LEADER IN ANAMBRA
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Ichie Michael Nwobu, an 84-year-old community leader in Umudioka village, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was killed in his bedroom early on Sunday morning.
His family members, who had left for church at the time, discovered his lifeless body on the floor in a pool of blood.
It was reported that the situation nearly led to a breakdown in law and order by the irate youths of Umudioka when they discovered the lifeless body, but for the prompt action of the community elders, who were able to soothe the frayed nerves.
No justification has yet to be gained as to why the community leader was murdered, but his family members and relatives said it was the first time such a terrible deed would be recorded in the area.
In response to the development, the village heads and community leaders called an emergency stakeholders meeting on Monday.
Chief Joseph Nweke, the secretary of Ndichie Umudioka Obunese, chaired the emergency meeting, which was held at the Umudioka Village Town Hall.
Nweke told journalists that the deceased had been stabbed in the neck and chest, as confirmed by cross-examination of his lifeless body. Nweke also expressed disgust that this heinous act had occurred in the community for the first time in the area’s history.
Flanked by other community leaders, stakeholders and elders, Nweke said, “The assailants had trailed the victim to his bedroom upstairs, between 7 am and 9 am on the fateful day shortly after his wife and other family members had left for Church and stabbed him many times in his neck and chest before sneaking out of the house.
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“The development has caused panic and apprehension in the community and we are therefore appealing to the appropriate security agencies to expedite action and fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book.
“The assailants had just committed an abomination of the highest order, considering the age of the victim and the brutal manner with which they slashed his throat with either knives or machetes.”
Chief Fidelis Nwokike, the village’s chairman of the administrative organ, also spoke, stating that it took some time to prevent the local youths from going on a rampage after learning of what had happened.
Nwokike urged the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the heinous act, adding that they had spoken with the deceased during a burial ceremony held in the area on Saturday.
Christopher Uzoh, the chairman of Okolobia (youths); Nnaemeka Emeka, the deceased’s nephew; and Anayo Obiakor, a stakeholder and former chairman of Okolobia Umudioka, also commented on the incident, denouncing the act and vowing that the evildoers would never escape punishment. Nwokike also mentioned that the matter had been reported to the police station.
The bereaved stakeholders stated that they would prefer a scenario in which the police are permitted to conduct a covert investigation and reveal the actors behind the scene, regardless of whether they accuse any one or more people as offenders.
When contacted about the development, SP Tochuckwu Ikenga, the state police public relations officer, stated that he was not yet aware of the incident and that he would check with the State Criminal Investigations Department to see if they had received a report on the case.
As of Monday night, when this story was filed, he had not yet done that.
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