No fewer than nine people have been reportedly killed after
suspected cult members attacked Assa community in the Ohaji-Egbema Local
Government Area of Imo State, The Punch is reporting.
The Punch said it learnt that the victims were killed in a week-long attack, which started last Monday.
Residents, who spoke with The Punch said they had deserted the
community over fear of being killed by the cult members who were said to
be fighting over oil deposit in the area.
One of the slain victims was identified as 32-year-old Vitalis Walata.
Walata’s relative, Kingsley Igwe, said the father of two was killed on Monday during a visit to the community.
He said: “The incident happened on Monday
morning while he was on a visit. Those men attacked him at the market
square and shot him dead. He was married with two children and his wife
was pregnant.
“After he was killed on Monday, those gunmen shot two people dead on Tuesday. On Wednesday, another man in the community was killed. On Thursday, a taxi driver was waylaid and shot dead. A total of nine people were killed last week.
“As I speak to you, there is no school, market or church in the
community that is functioning. Everybody has deserted the place. I have
also run away.”
The Government Liaison Officer of the council, Oluchi Odita,
confirmed the attacks, but said he could not tell the number of victims.
Odita appealed for the intervention of the state and federal governments, saying the situation had got out of control.
“It is the youths who are killing one another. We have been trying
to mediate without any success. Help us use your medium to beg the
government to come to our rescue. People are running away from the
commnity,” he added.
An indigene of the council, Emeka Ononomadu, said the situation was
caused by the imposition of traditional rulers on the community by the
government.
He said: “That place has been reduced to a war zone by cult members
due to the deposit of oil in the community. And the problem started
when the state government decided to encroach into the traditional
selection process. Some groups, who did not want to be ruled by leaders
imposed by the government, kicked and started fomenting trouble. This
developed into a full-blown war among communities, led by cult groups.”
The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, Taiwo Lakanu, said the
command was working with the military to end the crisis in the
community.
Lakanu, told the Punch that the police were faced with the
challenge of a difficult terrain and the reluctance of residents to give
information.
He said: “We heard that some people were killed, but the situation
is not as terrible as that. Two cults are involved in the crisis in that
community and the problem has been on for about three years. After
killing each other, they would retreat into the creeks. The terrain is
difficult and because the families of the victims don’t also cooperate
with the police in the area of information, it becomes difficult to make
arrests.
“We have, however, met with the military and the representatives of
the government to improve security in the community. We have also
deployed two units of riot policemen in the area and soldiers are making
efforts to send in troops as well. We are trying to recruit those who
will give information that will aid our investigations.”
The Imo State Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, promised to call back after making enquiries on the incident.
Onwuemeodo said: “I don’t have that information, so I
can’t speak on it. But there has been a crisis in that area over oil. I
don’t know whether this oil is a blessing or a curse. Some of the
attacks are senseless. Sometimes, those youths would allege that their
community leaders collected money from the oil companies and they would
attack them. I don’t know whether to tell God to dry up the supply of
oil in the community.”
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