As the outrage over the killing of about 14 youths allegedly by Ebubeagu Security outfit in Imo State rages, the people of Otulu community, Awomamma in Oru East Local Government Area of the state have planned to protest and possibly block the boisterous Owerri – Onitsha Road.
Condemnations have been trailing Sunday’s brutal murder of about 14 youths said to be returning from a traditional wedding ceremony at Otulu community in the state.
The gruesome murder was said to have been perpetrated by men suspected to be operatives of the Imo Vigilant group known as Ebubeagu Security outfit without provocation.
Expectedly, the incident has worsened the tension in the Orlu area of the state where insecurity has been a serious concern for 16 months now and where the Ebube Agu outfit has been accused of involvement in a series of extrajudicial killings.
The president General of Otulu Community, Nnamdi Agbor, who spoke to Business Hallmark correspondent on telephone said that young men were shot and killed Sunday night by the Ebubeagu operatives.
His said: “Youths from our community in Otulu had Sunday accompanied one of our brothers to Awomamma for his traditional wedding rites, at the end of the event, many of the youths who came on motorcycles offered to carry their brothers and they all rode back in a convoy of motorcycles.
“On their way home, around the Ishieke area of Awomamma, without any conversation or confrontation, the Ebubeagu operatives opened fire of the convoy of motorcycles killing seven persons on the spot. While they abducted some of the wedding guests some others escaped into the bush in a desperate flight for safety.”
“The Ebubeagu operatives took deliberate steps to make certain that the young men were dead. Those who still moved where finished off with a volley of bullets. Miraculously, one of our sons was mistaken for dead, after the operatives moved to their vehicle, he fled into the nearby bush and disappeared into the night. At about 1am, some of them that fled into the Bush called me and I called some of our brave youths to go and rescue them from the forest that same night.
“By Monday morning, we mobilized a search party, accompanied by an Army patrol team and we returned to the scene of attack and received seven dead bodies of our sons with five others still missing with several others nursing bullet wounds. As I speak to you, we are yet to be told the crime committed by our sons for which they were slaughtered like animals”
Among those killed were Chigozie Obinwa, Chikere Anyadioha, Ifechi Ekesinachi, Emeka Ekesinachi, Aboy Ihegboro, and two others simply identified as Chijindu and Ozioma. They all attended Chijioke Nnana’s traditional wedding where they were killed in cold blood.
Those still in hospital, according to the President-General, are Oluebube Agbor and ThankGod Iheukwumere.
The Imo State Police Command Spokesperson, CSP Micheal Abattam, confirmed the incident and said that the Commissioner of Police has ordered investigations into the killing.
