There were eight gun-wielding thugs led by one Chinedu Nicholas Makwe who stormed the venue and disrupted the ceremony by firing gunshots into the air.
Land-grabbing thugs allegedly sent by former Senate President, Pius Anyim, have invaded a funeral in Ovumnte community in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, scattering the gathering with gunshots and injuring two mourners in the process.
SaharaReporters learnt that the two victims who are critically lying in a hospital are Friday Ovia, a Technical Assistant on Security to the Governor of Ebonyi State, and another member of the Ovumnte community, Mr Ogo Okeke.
It was gathered that the hoodlums invaded the funeral in Amauzo last Wednesday around 5pm, which Ovia was holding for his late mother.
SaharaReporters learnt that there were eight gun-wielding thugs led by one Chinedu Nicholas Makwe who stormed the venue and disrupted the ceremony by firing gunshots into the air.
A resident of the community, who gave his name only as Arochukwu, explained that the genesis of the matter could be traced back to when the Ovumnte community filed a law suit at the Ebonyi State High Court via Suit No: HSK/6/2020 against Chief Pius Anyim and Mr. Chinedu Nicholas Makwe for acts of land-grabbing and malicious destruction of properties in Ovumnte land.
He added that the community also petitioned the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police over the problem of land-grabbing.
Arochukwu explained that after the thugs had invaded the venue of the funeral, they descended on Ovia and Okeke and cut them with matchetes until they became unconscious.
He said, “People present at the ceremony ran for their lives, while the thugs got hold of Mr. Friday Ovia and Mr. Ogo Okeke, who was with him. They stabbed and macheted the two of them several times while also hitting them with a hammer.
“When Ovia became unconscious, Makwe ordered one of the thugs to run him over with the car so that it would look like an accident. Makwe and his thugs then left when it appeared that Ovia was no longer breathing.
“In Amagu, we have again escaped a murder attempt by thugs loyal to Chief Pius Anyim and led by Makwe. It is not well with the poor people of Ovumnte as they are being oppressed and threatened with murder.
“Ovia has remained unconscious and in intensive care at an undisclosed hospital since the attack. The attack has been reported to the Divisional Police Command and the Department of State Services in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. However, Mr. Chinedu Makwe and the said thugs returned again to Mr. Friday Ovia’s house on the morning of March 12, 2021 and searched every room in the house and left when they did not find Mr. Friday.”
SaharaReporters learnt that the assault at the funeral was not the first carried out by the thugs allegedly sent by Anyim Pius.
On February 3, 2021, Ovia and Okeke were allegedly badly beaten by Anyim’s thugs at the Ivo Local Government Council headquarters, while other members of the Ovumnte were inflicted with grave injuries and their cars, motorcycles and bicycles destroyed.
“This particular incident took place in the presence of Chief Onyebuchi Ogbadu, the Executive Chairman of Ivo Local Government, whom Chief Pius Anyim’s thugs also mobbed and seized his phones when he attempted to record the incident.
“The February attack took place at a meeting called by the council boss over the ongoing Ovumnte land grab case against Chief Anyim and which Ovumnte land owners and Anyim’s representatives were invited,” another source revealed.