Imo community on rampage over murder of their son

Omadi village at Egbuoma town in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State has known no peace after the news of the death of one Mr. Okwudiri Chukwubueze who was said to have died on Tuesday after being allegedly assassinated by his kinsmen filtered into the community

Chukwubueze, aged 38 and father of three children was said to have died at a private hospital; Our Lady’s Hospital, Ihiala in Anambra State.

The victim was said to have been shot dead by his killers last Sunday night in his compound at Omadi, when he came out to find out why his generator suddenly went off.

Chibueze’s death, it was gathered to have send fears down the spines of  members of the community, a situation which was said to have prompted angry youth to go on the rampage, burning down buildings.

The youths allegedly targeted buildings of Chibueze’s kinmen suspected to be behind his murder.

Chibueze’s elder brother, Mr. Sunday Chukwubueze, said brother’s murder was connected with a land dispute within their kindred at Umuodu. He said: “Two weeks before he was murdered, his brother survived an attack by some members of our kindred.

“He was killed for standing against the decision of some members of our kindred to deny his mentally-challenged uncle his own portion of their general farmland. My brother’s death has put the whole family in a terrible situation.

“The genesis of the whole problem was the decision by some people in our kindred, Umuodu, to deny my uncle, Okoroafor Uzor, the third eldest man in our kindred, the three farmlands he was supposed to get in our general kindred farmland at Ogboto.

 “We have a long lasting land dispute among ourselves here at Umuodu over a farmland called Owerriechi. The other members of the kindred decided to cheat my uncle, knowing that he has no son and is sick. My late brother and I insisted that we wouldn’t allow such to happen.”

Chukwubueze said that his late brother, knowing where Okoroafor’s farmlands are located, two weeks ago, went there to help him weed it. He was weeding one of them when some youths attacked and inflicted machete cuts on him. He added:

 “After that attack, we rushed him to a hospital at Uli. When he was discharged, we decided to keep him in our maternal home at Ezi-Mgbidi Autonomous in Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State.

 “He returned to Egbuoma on Wednesday and was shot death on Sunday about 8p.m. as he came out from his house to check why his generator went off.”

It was gathered that Chibueze who was once based in the Republic of Cameroun doing his business just returned to Nigeria not more than three years to bury one of his elder brothers identified as Ifeanyi who died in a mysterious accident just two years ago.

 Imo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Andrew Enwerem, confirmed the incident. The PPRO said that Chibueze’s death brought reprisal from the aggrieved people in the community, leading to burning of houses.

He said: “The police have taken control of the community and restored peace. But we are still investigating the matter and hunting the killers of Chibueze. Police raced to the area to prevent more damage. Normalcy has been restored and patrol team has been patrolling the area. The commissioner of police has directed that the man who shot Chibueze must be arrested and thorough investigation carried out.”

However, information has it that some of the suspected killers of Chibueze stormed the village with some policemen (SARS) from Abuja to arrest the spokesman of Omadi Village over the burning of their houses.

 A report from Omadi has it that the SARS men were resisted by the angry youths, but using the power of their gun, they overpowered the youths and whisked the old man away to an unknown place.