Tension In Enugu Community Over Killing Of Middle Age Man By Vigilante Group

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

The entire Aji Community, in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area, of Enugu State, has been thrown into serious confusion and tension, following the alleged killing of a middle aged man, Obinna Onoja, by a faction of the community’s vigilante group.

African Examiner reports that the unfortunate incident is coming barely one week after one Itodo Oforma, was also murdered by same group during his mother’s funeral ceremony.

A family source told our correspondent Thursday that the group butchered Obinna to death, having accused him of stealing an unidentified item from the compound of a top Enugu State Government official, who hails from the area.

However, the source dismissed the claims, insisting that Obinna was a young man who worked hard to earn a living through menial jobs, adding that he was never known as a bad egg in the community.

Hear him: “The truth is yet to be told; they are yet to tell us why they killed him so ruthlessly”, he lamented.

The family source said their brother was killed “by a gang, that parades as Aji neighbourhood watch. The leaders of the gang are ‘hunchback and Otiyo’. They are the same people that murdered Oforma Itodo”.

Our correspondent gathered that the group used axe to cut off Obinna’s toes, gave him matchet cuts in other parts of the body.

It was further learnt that the victim, died before men of the Enugu State Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, could arrive the scene.

When contacted on phone, one Joseph Azegba, who claimed to be the authentic chairman of Aji Neigbourhood Watch group, alleged that his group had been hunting for Obinna for quite sometime now for his involvement in some criminal activities in the area.

Azegba confirmed that his group apprehended the deceased along Aji Ogrute road, Enugu Ezike and questioned him, after which they handed him over to the police for further interrogation.

But he denied that his group butchered the deceased to death, claiming that he only heard from people that he was dead, after they had handed him over to the police.

Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amarizu, when contacted, said he was yet to get full details of the incident.