By Okey Maduforo Awka.
The Association of Non Indigenes In Anambra State’ ANIAS has called for total investigation into the killing of thirteen persons from Ebony state at Ogboji in Orumba North local government area of Anambra state.
At about 7 pm at Ogboji while the Ebony people were holding their monthly meeting last Monday , some gunmen came with a sienna car and stopped the meeting accusing them of holding meeting against them.
After collecting the minutes book for the meeting they opened fire on them and killed thirteen members of the meeting while the Chairman and treasure escaped with bullet wounds .
In a statement by the President Association of Non Indigenes In Anambra State ANIAS Prince Chigozie Nweke, the body is demanding for a full investigation on the remote and immediate causes of the killing adding that justice must be done .
“We wish to bring to the notice of the Anambra state government the killing of thirteen persons from Ebony state at Ogboji in Orumba North local government area by suspected gunmen ”
*While we commiserate with the people of Ebony state and the families of the deceased , we wish to urge the able working governor of Anambra state Prof Charles Soludo to use his good office to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the killing ”
“It has become instructive that the Anambra state government should step in and stamp it’s authority using all the security networks to nip this dastardly act on the board in order not to rubbish the peace and tranquility already achieved by the Soludo led administration in the last three years ”
“We also call on the Anambra state Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu who we have implicit confidence in crime fighting to also deploy officers and men of the Command to bring those killers to face the wrath of the law”
Continuing Nweke noted that the Association has been working with all President Generals of the 179 Communities in the fight against insecurity adding that the body would continue to play it’s roles as law abiding citizens resident in the area.
Narrating the incident, the duo of Treasurer and Chairman of Ebony residents in Ogboji through a voice note Mr Augustine Odom who escaped with bullet wounds said.
“What happened was that we were at the meeting of Ebony people in Ogboji and we do it once in a month and that is last Monday of the month and the meeting starts at 4pm ”
“The President General of the Ogboji Town Union is also aware of the monthly meeting”
“We were about rounding up the meeting when some people came carrying guns that we are holding meeting against them ”
“We replied them that we are not holding any meeting against them and they demanded for the minutes book which we have them ”
“They asked of the Chairman that he should stand up and the Chairman did and they told the rest of us to lay down and we did and they started shooting us ”
“We don’t even know who they are and thirteen persons were killed and I escaped with bullet wounds with our Chairman who survived the gunshots”
“Those killed are people from Izzi , Ikwo Mgbo, villages” he said.
At the moment the survivors are responding to treatment at a medical facility in the area.
