Gunmen assassinate royal father, 3 others in Enugu community

A royal father and three other persons, including a married couple, were killed during an attack by yet to be identified gunmen in Nkerefi, a town in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, in the early hours of Saturday. The traditional ruler of Isienu Amofu, a community in Nkerefi, Igwe Peter Onuoha, who was killed in the incident, was the prime target of the attack. Accordin g to Punch, a native of the community, one Daniel Ogbu, alias Choco, equally died in the attack, alongside a married couple, identified as Ejike Uzor and his wife, Evelyn Uzor. Eye witnesses told the paper that the victims had several machete cuts on their bodies, as well as bullet wounds. Some other natives of the community were also injured during the attack. According to Punch, the gunmen stormed the Igwe’s palace under the cover of darkness and began shooting in all directions all through the operation. The paper also gathered that most of those who sustained injuries were hit by stray bullets. A native of the community, who refused to disclose his name, told Punch that residents of the community, particularly those living close to the Igwe’s palace, fled their homes as the noise of the sporadic gunshots rent the air. He noted that those who sustained bullet wounds were hit by stray bullets when they fled the comfort of their homes during the attack. The source added that the couple, who were killed in the attack, may equally be victims of stray bullets, although he admitted that it was strange that they were also inflicted with machete cuts. However, he disclosed that, by the time the shooting stopped, the dead body of the traditional ruler was discovered in the palace. The bodies of Choco, and the married couple, were equally discovered in different locations as the villagers took stock of what had happened. Members of the community, as well as the police, who said it has commenced investigations, are yet to ascertain the reason behind the bloody attack in the village. However, unconfirmed reports claim that the assassinated royal father and some youths in the community recently had a bitter quarrel, which was not resolved. According to a source who spoke to Punch, last year, the youths took on the Igwe after he made a spiritual sacrifice in the community. The youths were reportedly suspicious of the sacrifice, which they believed was carried out by the Igwe in order to ‘tie’ or stop the progress of members of the community. However, the Igwe had insisted that the sacrifice was meant for the protection of members of his family. “The Igwe (royal father) and youths in the village had problems last year when the youths accused him of retarding the progress of the community through fetish practices but the Igwe told them that the sacrifice he did was purely for his protection and that of his family members. “As a result of the development, the youths forcefully uprooted the royal father’s sign-board to express their anger but the community leaders condemned the act and threatened to fish out and discipline the concerned youths. “Some of the youths involved in the protest fled the community since then but I don’t know if those youths have a hand in this incident,” the source told the paer. The police have, however, vowed to arrest those behind the attack. The Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the development, described the killings as “unfortunate.” “The command is working relentlessly to ensure that those behind the alleged murder are unmasked and brought to book. “Full scale investigations have commenced into the incident,” Amaraizu said. The bodies of the royal father and the other victims have been deposited at the morgue of Eastern Nigeria Medical Center, Enugu, and General Hospital, Agbani, respectively.