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Tension in Anambra over murder of community leader
[b]By Adimike George Published Today News Rating: Unrated
There is tension in Osile Ogbunike, one of the 177 communities of Anambra State following the murder of community leader, Mr. Ezekiel Chukwuemeka Okakpu.

Okakpu, the Chairman of Ogbo Isato Village, Osile Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area was murdered last Saturday by youths suspected to be members of a faction in the 2007 crisis that engulfed the village.

The victim, 60, and former Secretary-General of the defunct Onitsha Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (OMATA) was attacked and killed when he attended a traditional wedding in his community.

The community, in 2007, witnessed a violent crisis which claimed many lives.

Several buildings were also torched.

The deceased’s elder brother, Chijioke Okakpu, an amputee, who spoke to reporters yesterday at Onitsha, said his brother had a meeting with the Divisional Police Officer of Oyi on Saturday, attended by both factions in the 2007 crisis, shortly before his murder.

"Ezekiel was attacked by some youths who invaded Mr Sunday Okafor’s, our relation’s, compound, whose daughter’s traditional marriage was going on at the time of the incident", he said.

‘’The youths gave him machete cuts and later burnt his corpse with two motorcycles and chased all the people that attended the traditional marriage away."

According to him, while his brother was meeting with the DPO and the two factions, unknown to him, the other group was mobilising against him, only to apprehend him at the venue of the wedding.

He said his late younger brother’s son, aged 16, and his in-law, aged 17 were, on May 27, 2009, arrested by the police from Abuja.

The elder Okakpu said the police came to arrest his younger brother over a petition allegedly written by the other faction.

He said the boys were kept for 21 days at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, before they were released.

Chijioke appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo to order the police in the state to intervene.

"I am afraid; the lives of the members of my family are in danger, my house was burnt in the 2007 crisis and since then I have been squatting from one person’s house to another, he said.

‘’The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo, should please come and save us".

Commissioner of Police Mr. Philemon Leha confirmed the incident, saying he has deployed his men to the village.

He said the suspects have fled the village, but promised that they would be arrested soon.

The commissioner pleaded that the police be given time since they were not there when the incident happened in 2007.

He urged the people to provide information which may lead to the arrest of the suspects.

"The police were not there when the incident took place. We need information to arrest the culprits and we cannot do that unless the people from Osile village give us information on those involved in the dastardly act", Leha said. [/b]

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