Ozubulu massacre: Government yet to act, 3 months after
Three months ago, exactly on August 6, unknown gunmen invaded the Saint Philip Catholic Church, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State during Sunday mass, killing no fewer than 13 worshipers, including children, and left scores injured.
The incident, which reverberated across the country and beyond, compelled the Nigeria Police Force and the Anambra State Government to promise detailed investigation into the matter and prosecution of the culprits.
While Governor Willie Obiano pledged to fish out the perpetrators of the senseless killings, the police insisted on carrying out a full investigation to unravel those behind the attack.
The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on its part, said it was already getting cooperation from its foreign partners on their interest in one Aloysius Ikegwuonwu, popularly called Bishop, said to be the target of the attack, and his suspected links to drug trade in South Africa.
Beside the anti-drug agency, the police in Anambra were said to have interrogated the 36-yearold magnate and philanthropist, all geared towards ensuring that justice is done.
Amidst these efforts, including some arrests made in connection with the massacre, residents of the community, and indeed, the entire state and the country, are still worried and bewildered that nobody has been prosecuted.
When Daily Trust on Sunday visited Amakwu village, Ozubulu, the community where the incident took place, life appeared normal, as social, economic and religious activities had fully resumed, with no one talking or willing to discuss the aftermath of the ugly incident.
Our correspondent observed that apart from the area where mass burials were conducted for some of the deceased, traces of the incident are gradually disappearing in the community.
Some residents who spoke to our correspondent said the delay in the prosecution of the culprits may not be unconnected with the personalities involved, who are highly connected with the government.
“I am not sure you were aware that the prime target of the attack was in this community few days after the incident and spent some time visiting the families of those who lost their loved ones. He was also at the hospitals where those who sustained injuries were receiving treatment. I don’t think he just went there to pray with them. Other things might have followed,’’ said a resident who refused to disclose his identity.
Another resident, who simply identified himself as Nicholas, said he was not surprised at government’s disposition to the matter. “What do you expect? Talking about the dead when election is around the corner? Which one is more important? Of course, they can’t afford to abandon their campaign to talk about Ozubulu killings. It may come up after the election,’’ he said.
Bereaved family members, who were reluctant to speak to our correspondent, however, expressed worry that after several months of the killings, government and security agencies were yet to act on the matter despite several assurances.
One of them, who later opened up, but preferred anonymity, said they had surrendered the issue to God as no amount of lamentation or pronouncement would bring back the dead.
He was also quick to stress the need for concerned authorities to speak out on the matter. “We are talking about human lives. Many of us lost our loved ones in the ugly incident. We expect to hear more and not for the matter to be swept under the carpet like that,’’ he said.
Reacting, a member representing Ekwusigo constituency in the state House of Assembly, comprising Ozubulu, Hon. Onyebuchi Ofor, expressed regrets that the souls of the departed were yet to get justice despite promises made by both the government and security operatives to apprehend those behind the heinous act.
“The governor had assured us that he must fight to see that whoever was behind that stupid act must be brought to book. As we speak, noting has been done. It is like that case has been buried. We don’t hear about that matter again. Ozubulu and the entire Ekwusigo people are law abiding citizens. Our prayer remains that the arm of the law must catch up with the perpetrators.’’ he said.
Also speaking, the Anglican Bishop of Ihiala Diocese, The Rt. Rev. Prof. Israel Okoye, said there should be no room for any delay or skewed interest in the investigation. In his address during the first session of the Third Synod at the Cathedral Church of Saint Silas, Ihiala, Prof Okoye demanded that government should make the actions it is taking on the issue public.
“We hope the report of the investigation would not be buried with the dead. We, therefore, call on the police to disclose their findings and the actions being taken by government on the issue,’’ he said.
Speaking on the implications of delaying investigation on such a deadly incident, a security expert, Chris Udeze, partly attributed the blame to the reluctance of the victims to pursue the matter to the end.
“I want to believe that it is simply a case of the complainant not willing to pursue the case to a logical conclusion, in view of the number of deaths recorded, which is indicting the high and mighty,’’ he said.
A social reformer and human rights activist, Lary Oguejo, said the people’s confidence and trust on security agencies, in terms of information sharing, was being threatened by the deliberate delay to bring the culprits to justice.
“People’s confidence and trust in security personnel can only be sustained when the authorities make it a point of duty to update the masses on developments surrounding security issues similar to the Ozubulu experience.
Describing the security lapses as dangerous and scary, Oguejo said, “They are not telling us who they arrested nor what they have done after the arrest. There are lots of rumours flying around, which they are neither confirming nor debunking.
“Probably, they are not going to charge anybody to court for the murder of several people in Anambra. It is indeed a dangerous and scary situation,’’ he said.
When contacted, the commissioner of police, Anambra State command, Garba Umar, assured that the case had not been closed, adding that it had been handed over to the International Police in South Africa.
“Definitely, some suspects were arrested who also admitted that they carried out the act, but some of them are in South Africa. The Interpol is currently on the matter, and very soon, they would come out with the outcome of their investigation.
“You know that extradition and other cases like that are not easy to handle. But I assure you that it won’t be long and the matter would be concluded,’’ he said.
Residents of Ozubulu, and indeed, the entire state, are still expecting that government and concerned security agencies would rise up to their responsibilities by making good their promises to get to the root of the incident and bring those behind the attack to book.