Dastardly, Cowardly Massacre at Ozubulu
No single event in recent times has sent quite as much shock, consternation and disbelief across Nigeria as last Sunday’s church massacre at Ozubulu in Anambra State. At about 6am that morning, a gunman or gunmen entered the St. Phillips Catholic Church at Amakwa, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State and opened fire at worshippers. At the last count, thirteen people were confirmed dead while another twenty seven are receiving treatment at various hospitals including the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Awka for injuries sustained in the attack. That a gunman or gunmen will open fire inside a church, indiscriminately killing men, women and children is an unspeakable, cowardly, dastardly crime against God, Nigeria and all humanity.
Within hours of the tragedy, Anambra State Commissioner of Police Garba Umar hinted that the massacre was not a terrorist attack nor was it carried out by herdsmen or even separatist agitators. He said it was the result of a feud between two natives of Ozubulu who are engaged in the drug business in South Africa. This account was immediately corroborated by Governor Willie Obiano when he visited the massacre scene hours later. Obiano and Umar’s account reduced tension in the country, since many people had already taken to the social media to allege that terrorists or herdsmen were behind the attack.
In his broadcast to the state’s people the next day, Governor Obiano said, “What happened in Ozubulu yesterday was a tragic dimension of a long battle between two business partners who are from the same town. I have been fully informed that this dangerous conflict has been going on for a while in the country where they both live outside Nigeria before they decided to bring the conflict home... This explanation, I believe, has erased the fears that the incident may have been caused by either some terrorist organizations or some members of some groups of agitators in the country. What happened in Ozubulu was neither a terror attack as we know it, nor a violent action by some agitators. We are dealing with a dangerous GANG WAR that has spilled over to Anambra State from another African country.”
According to many newspaper reports in the days following the massacre, the target of the attack was Aloysius Ikegwuonu, a well-known businessman and native of Ozubulu who is based in South Africa. Ikegwuonu, popularly called Bishop, built the St. Phillips and two other Catholic churches in the state and had also tarred roads in the community, which were opened by Governor Obiano. In recent months he was the subject of bitter social media attacks, alleging that he defrauded business partners. He was also involved in a bitter feud in South Africa over leadership of the Ozubulu Development Union in that country.
The governor’s account displeased people who were hoping to cash on it to further their treasonable agenda. Among them was Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB] leader Nnamdi Kanu, who alleged that “enemies of the Igbo” carried out the attack. The champion of hate speech in Nigeria, Femi Fani-Kayode, was also quick to condemn the police commissioner and the governor, saying they were trying to cover up for the real culprits. More responsible groups were more measured in their reactions. Chairman of Ozubulu Development Union [ODU] Caretaker Committee Dr Chukwuka Ernest regretted the attack and wondered why such a dastardly act should happen in the house of God. President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chief John Nnia Nwodo described the incident as despicable and horrendous and said the Catholic Church should be involved in the investigation. He said, “The variety of angles emerging as the likely cause of the incident make thorough and unhindered investigation on the matter inevitable and imperative.”
We strongly support Ohanaeze’s call for a thorough investigation. This stance is also supported by the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council headed by the Obi of Onitsha. It urged the state government to urgently constitute a high-powered Commission of Inquiry into the immediate and remote causes of the church killings in Ozubulu. It said after the council’s monthly meeting in Awka that the commission should be vested with powers to thoroughly investigate the unfortunate event and make recommendations. We agree that such a thorough probe is called for in spite of numerous newspaper stories, quoting community sources, as identifying the businessmen involved in the blood feud and their motives for carrying out the massacre. The first task for the police is to find and apprehend the gunman or gunmen that pulled the trigger in the church. These are the men in the best position to describe why and how they carried out this senseless killing, who sent them and whatever other issues are involved.
Deep probe is especially necessary because some important parties in this horrible event are questioning the account that has gained currency. For example, President-General of AmakwaOzubulu Development Union Deacon Iykebest Malizu, on behalf of Amakwa community, dismissed the story of a communal problem being peddled in some quarters as the cause of the attack, saying there was no communal problem in Amakwa-Ozubulu. The traditional ruler of Ozubulu, Igwe Nnamdi Oruche also disputed the popular account and said what the community got involved in was a struggle over leadership of ODU, not a business dispute. President Muhammadu Buhari has already described the Ozubulu incident as “an appalling crime against humanity and unspeakable sacrilege.” He said this kind of atrocity “plumbs the depth of depravity and extreme cruelty of the kind that words cannot adequately express.” We cannot agree more. It is incumbent on the authorities to get to the root of this incident as an important first step in ensuring that nothing of the sort happens in this country ever again.