A fatal funeral drew attention to the Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The funeral of 34-year-old Ozo Joseph Chukwuka on February 26 resulted in more deaths as mysterious gunmen struck and killed about 20 people.
“There is a video from the scene, which showed several persons lying in pools of blood, while the corpse was desecrated, and the coffin flung apart,” a report quoted a source as saying.
A former councillor in the community, Oba Okonkwo, gave a shocking account of the incident, with background information that suggested cultism. According to him, “On the day he was killed in December, he was somewhere around our area drinking when he received a call that he was needed somewhere.
“We thought the call was probably from some people he had done business with as he started his motorcycle and left. The next thing we heard was that he had been shot and killed.
“So, when a date was fixed for his burial, we started hearing rumours that he should not be given a proper burial. We asked why but we couldn’t get answers from anywhere.”
The described circumstances of Chukwuka’s death were curious enough. The story gets curiouser and curiouser. Okonkwo narrated: ”On that day, when his corpse had been brought from the mortuary and placed on the table for the burial service to commence, a vehicle drove in from nowhere and the masked people started shooting, and people scampered into safety.
“They brought down Ozo’s corpse and killed 16 persons on the spot. Twelve others who were injured were taken to the hospital.” Sadly, the reported death toll rose to 24.
It is still unclear who killed Chukwuka, why gunmen disrupted his funeral and why attendees were killed. Importantly, the police said it was a case of cult rivalry; and described the invaders as “people suspected to be cultists.”
“On-the-spot assessment indicates that not less than five suspected cultists were killed in cold blood,” police spokesman in the state Ikenga Tochukwu was reported saying.
It is reassuring that the Anambra State Police Command said some arrests had been made in connection with the killings. Investigation of the incident should be thorough and also cover how Chukwuka died.
There are conflicting versions describing who he was. One version said he was in the sand loading business and had a decent reputation, but another said he was a notorious cultist.
The killings further triggered local demands for the construction of a police station and security posts in the area. The authorities should look into the security situation in the area, and introduce improvements.
There is no doubt that the accounts of how Chukwuka died and his funeral went awry are strange indeed, and may well suggest cultism. The police need to get to the bottom of these incidents.
The killings again raised the issue of cultism and its social consequences, including breakdown of law and order, violence and social instability, weakened societal values, and premature death of youths who are cultists and innocent victims.
Public campaigns against cultism in the country must not only be continued but intensified. The government, schools, religious institutions and parents should be involved in spreading awareness of the issue and its negative consequences.
The Ebenebe killings are particularly disturbing because they happened at a funeral. It was a time for sober contemplation, a time to appreciate the value of life, not a time for thoughtlessness and senseless destruction of lives.
Sadly, the invaders not only desecrated the burial ceremony but also violated the fundamental right of the attendees to life. The killers must not be allowed to get away with murder.
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