ANAMBRA CHURCH KILLING: LG boss disagrees with gov, police, insists it was terrorist act

Even as victims and other Nigerians continue to grief over the Sunday morning killings at a church in Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, the council’s chairman has added a new twist to the event.

Chairman of the Local Government, Mr. Ikenna Ofodeme, has insisted that the attack which left 12 people dead, and many more injured, was a terrorist act, and politically motivated to discredit the administration of Governor Willie Obiano

This is against the submission of the governor, and commissioner of police in the state, Mr Garba Umar, who had both said that the attack was a fallout of a drug war between two sons of the area based in South Africa.

According to them, the attackers had targeted one Aloysius Ikegwuonu, but carried out the massacre when they were unable to locate him at the church.

However, Ofodeme who said of the 12 people confirmed dead, 10 were females, including a baby, while two were males, insisted, that Ikegwuonu could not have been the target of the attack, since he was not in the country as at the time of the horrifying massacre.

He said, “This young man, Aloysius Ikegwuonu, they are calling based on the police report has built more than three churches in Ekwusigo communities. He is currently building a new one in one of the communities. He left this country two days ago.

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“If he was the target and he did a business transaction that resulted to this killing, those who are pursuing him would have killed him at the football pitch. He played inter-village match a week ago before he left the country for his base. Some are quoting the governor of the state.

‘’The governor was briefed by the police and whatever he said, he should not be blamed because it was security agents that briefed him, and he must tell the people of the state what he was briefed on.

“The shooting happened in the church. Why didn’t the people go to his house or his father’s house? What business has shooting people in the church got to do with business transaction between alleged drug pushers?

“This is purely a terrorist attack and nothing to do with a drug pusher’s disagreement in South Africa with our son”, he insisted.

He further added, that the attack may be politically motivated to give the impression that there is no security in the state, with a view to rubbish Governor Obiano’s efforts at addressing security in the state.

“If it were a misunderstanding between Mr Aloysius Ikegwuonwu and his kinsman in South Africa, what has that got to do with innocent worshipers in the church,” he asked.

The police in the state had also stated that three suspects had been arrested in connection to the attack, and that investigations were still ongoing.

 

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