Killers in Ozubulu Church Massacre Demanded $1m to Shelve Further Attack, Says Witness

A witness in the ongoing court case over the killing of worshippers in a church in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo local government of Anambra State, Mr. Nkwado Onyeka has said that the perpetrators of the killing were demanding $1m to stop further attack on the community.

Onyeka yesterday told the Court that two suspects, Gozila and Afam who had owned up to the crime and were still being held in South African prison had demanded the sum as part of their conditions to stop further killings in the town.

The witness, Onyeka who was the former President of Ozubulu Development Union (ODU), South Africa branch revealed to the court that the gang was being led by one Chinedu Akpunonu, and was responsible for the killing of his wife, Mrs. Onyeka, as well as six prominent people from Ozubulu in South Africa.

The Ozubulu church massacre which happened in 2017 had been said to have emanated from a drug war between indigenes of Ozubulu, who reside in South Africa.

During yesterday's sitting, Onyeka told the court that the gang had threatened that they would continue the killing until the Ozubulu people whom they claimed were responsible for their imprisonment effected their release.

While being led in evidence by Ezeuko (SAN) for the prosecution, Onyeka said, “Within a short time, one man Obinna Obijeme who gave witness against Akpunonu at Igwe’s palace was shot dead in South Africa. When we heard this, we called a meeting and invited Chinedu Akpunonu, Aloysius Ikegwuonu and 20 others.

“In the meeting, I was pleading with Chinedu Akpunonu because his gang members in prison, Dozila and Afam have claimed that they killed Obinna. We concluded that Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu, Emeka Obi, Chinedu Akpunonu, Fidelis Nwanya and our patron will go to prison to see Afam and Dozila to know how to stop the killing.

"The next day, Fidelis Nwanya called me and said that Afam and Dozila said they do not want to see Chinedu Akpunonu and Aloysius Ikegwuonu, that it was only Fidelis Nwanya and I that they would want to see.

“Fidelis Nwanya made me to understand, that Afam and Dozila said they would have visiting in November, and already I had booked December to travel to America. So in December I travelled to New York, my wife and son dropped me at the airport. On landing at America, at the airport I switched on my phone and the first call that I got was that my wife has been short dead in our office which I share with her. I joined the same flight back to South Africa.

“All Ozubulu people were calling me to sympathise with me but Chinedu Akpunonu did not. Our people were worried and were asking what to do next and I said they should go ahead with our earlier plan to visit Afam and Dozila in prison but that I will not go with them.

"They went to the prison to see them and reported that Dozila and Afam swore that they would continue to kill Ozubulu people except they were given $1 million. That it was Ozubulu people that put them in prison."