A criminal gang has reportedly listed six more persons they plan to kill in Oruku community in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. This comes barely 72 hours after the criminal gang killed the President-General of the Town Union, Chief Linus Nwatu. Nwatu, Easterner gathered had been listed among seven persons to be killed about two months ago. He was, however, tricked by the alleged sponsors of the killings in the community into supporting a peace negotiation.
“He came back on Friday evening in preparation for the burial of a member of the neighbourhood watch group that was earlier killed by the same gang last Saturday.
“Unfortunately, that Saturday morning, he was killed and the supposed peace and reconciliation meeting never took place again on Sunday,” a community source told Easterner.
Nwatu’s killing had brought the number of leaders killed in the community to eight. The eight community leaders killed in less than two years are Igwe Emmanuel Mba, Hon. Linus Nwatu, Mr. Samuel Ani, Mr. Okechukwu Ogbodo, Mr. Calistus Amushi, Mr. Dennis Ike, Mr. Zik Mba and Mr. Okenwa Mbah. Meanwhile, one of the six persons listed to be killed in the community is Apostle Dr Emmanuel Okwudilichukwu Agbaka. Agbaka, in a voice message circulated on the community’s social media platforms, warned that his killing would bring disaster and eternal destruction to the community. He maintained that he would continue to condemn the gruesome murder of innocent people in the community because they accepted to make peace with their brothers in a neighbouring community, Umuode.
Agbaka said, “There is an error that must be corrected and there’s nonsense that must come to an end. The word of God said that the wickedness of the wicked must come to an end. And before it will come to an end; there is a place called bus stop.
“I want to tell you people that I am one of the last bus stops. It has gotten to my information for some days now and even today, calls have been going on and people are saying that I should be warned by these bloodsuckers, who are full of hatred malice and jealousy, those who don’t want the community to be good.
“Those who believe that if not them and their family, let everything scatter. That is what put our community in this jeopardy and disarray.
“I have been telling the youths and warning them, these people that are using them will still finish them because they’re coming for them. You the young men; they are coming for you and they will destroy you.
“When we are telling you don’t allow anybody to use you because they will use you people and frustrate you. So where was your mind when we were telling you this?
“I want to tell our people; some people have been calling saying that I am among those they wrote their names to be killed. But assure you that if I am killed, every son of those sponsoring the killings no matter where they are will start having problems. That will be the beginning of eternal destruction of the community.”
Easterner reported that the traditional ruler of Oruku community, Igwe Emmanuel Mbah was murdered by hoodlums loyal to a faction in the communal dispute on December 26, 2020, in collaboration with criminal policemen from Police Force Headquarters, Abuja. His killers have yet to be brought to justice. The assassination later sparked a disorder that caused the destruction of lives and property in the community, prompting Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to institute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate Mbah’s killing.
The murdered Town Union President, Chief Nwatu, had alleged while testifying before the commission that “23 collaborators and sponsors were fuelling cultist activities in Oruku” to destroy lives and property. He had urged the commission headed by Justice Harold Eya to look into the names listed in his memorandum as the masterminds of Oruku crisis and bring them to justice. The Justice Harold Eya panel had since submitted its findings to Governor Ugwuanyi but the government has yet to make the report public and take necessary steps to restore lasting peace in the area. As a result, many natives who deserted the community following a series of attacks have not returned to their homes while those who remained in Oruku and neigbouring towns have continued to live in fear though security operatives patrol the area periodically.
However, a member of the community told Easterner that he had stopped going to the community due to the incessant killings and destructions.
“Their killers have vowed to kill us all and the government is doing nothing about it. The governor deceived us that he was making peace and abandoned us to be extinguished by Raymond Okenwa, Moses Nnamani and others,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as the Command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe could not be reached as his mobile phone indicated that it was switched off.
