From Nweke Nweke, Awka
There is a pandemonium in Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State following the alleged invasion of Ezi-Umunya village by a suspected cult group.
A reliable source revealed that four youths, one Ekene Nweke, Ike Nwankwo, Anierobi Nwizu, Wilson Ikwuka from the community who were allegedly attacked by the ravaging cult group were said to have been lying critically ill in different hospitals.
The source said those attacked were left with degrees of machete cuts while many who are said to be in the list of the attackers flee the community for fear of been killed.
It was gathered that the ravaging cultists, having failed to lure their victims and many other youths in Umunya community into their nefarious activities, the members of the dreaded group, ended up in slicing their victims with machetes and axes even as medical practitioners are currently battling to revive the lives of the affected persons in the clash.
Reacting to the ugly development, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Umunya town union, Mr. Obi Ezeana said the present attack came few weeks after the Anambra State government inaugurated a caretaker committee, charged with the responsibility of reconciling the warring parties in the area as well as conducting election into the town union executive.
According to him, the suspected cultists displayed a script written by the traditional ruler of Umunya Community, HRH, Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje.
“After our swearing in, I personally led eleven other members of the caretaker committee to the State Commissioner of Police and to the Divisional Police Officer, Nteje police division, SP Daniel Barnabas and pleaded with them to stop arresting members of the community pending the outcome of the peace crusade we have embarked upon.
“To my chagrin, we called the two factions of Ezi-Umunya village that were having problems over the election of village leadership for roundtable talks, aimed at restoring peace among warring factions, at the end of the meeting, policemen from Nteje police division stormed the venue of our meeting, arrested Ekene Nweke and detained him at the police station. It took me time to release him on bail and on his way home from the police station; he was attacked by the suspected cult group led by Samson Nwabude” Mr. Ezeana stated.
The victims, who reacted from their respective hospital beds, said the attack was as a result of their refusal to be initiated into the dreaded cult group led by Samson Nwabude. They however distanced the attack from the leadership crisis rocking the Ezi-Umunya village, stating that bringing in the crisis in their village leadership was a plot to distract the operations of the cult group allegedly sponsored by the traditional ruler of the community.
Efforts made to reach the monarch as at the time of filling this report proved abortive as constant visits to the palace of the said monarch which aimed at getting his reactions on the allegation leveled against him was not also not fruitful as calls made across to his GSM line kept repeating, switched off.
Confirming the attack, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Nteje Police Division, SP, Daniel Barnabas said it was his men on patrol that rescued the first victim, (Ekene Nweke) and took him to the hospital even as he said his office is yet to get official report on the ugly development.
