Outrage has trailed the release of three suspected killers of the traditional ruler of Oruku community in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Emmanuel Mba, by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Miletus Eze.
The suspects are Chukwuka Nwatu Okenwa, Onyema Edeh and Emmanuel Nwobodo.
Their release came barely 72 hours after another community leader, the President General of the Town Union, Chief Linus Nwatu, was shot dead in his house on Saturday by a criminal gang who were reportedly not in support of the government peace deal on Oruku/Umuode communal conflict that had lasted for three decades.
SaharaReporters reported on Tuesday that eight community leaders who backed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi's government regarding a peace deal to resolve the communal crisis had been gruesomely killed in less than two years with six more, including a pastor marked for elimination.
Community sources who decried the situation in the community and the government’s silence on the issue, told SaharaReporters on Wednesday, that Governor Ugwuanyi's administration had earlier freed 10 people who participated in several killings in the community in the past.
One of the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity gave the names of those earlier released as Anayo Ede, Simon Ani, Simon Nnamani, Nonso Eze, Emmanuel Onuma, Onyeka Eze, Emmanuel Orji, Ugochukwu Ede, Onyedika Inyaba and Anayo Nwobodo.
The source lamented that the governor's actions and inactions have emboldened the criminals, adding that seven of them were among those who killed a member of the state Neighbourhood Watch security outfit in the community on June 6, 2022, before Saturday's killing.
The source said, "These people were released by Governor Ugwuanyi as they were about to be charged to court. All of them were seen in Oruku wielding AK-47 rifles on June when they killed Dennis Ike and unleashed terror in Oruku."
Meanwhile, a series of voice messages posted on a media platform tagged "Eziokwu Bu Ndu", which was created by the group who opposed the government’s peace deal between Umuode and Oruku communities, and SaharaReporters obtained on Wednesday, shows that they were in support of the murder of the President General, Chief Nwatu.
One of the voices speaking in Igbo said, "I have confirmed it; ha eweriwo ala zere mirri (he has indeed been killed)."
Another voice which SaharaReporters could not independently verify whose it is said, "They will use their blood to pay for all the 'offences' committed and nothing will happen. Things are going according to plan. If you say it is not you, if it is you what will you do?
"What I know is that Utinwa and his group, especially Utinwa and Ebuka nwa Paul, let them continue to run and the people championing the so-called peace. Let them run, if it doesn't happen today, it will happen tomorrow.’
Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that Utinwa Emeka and Ebuka Ogbo were members of a community vigilante group, otherwise known as the Enugu State Neighbourhood Watch. They are among the six persons listed by the gunmen for elimination.
Another member of the community who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity also gave a vivid account of the ongoing massacre in the community, which he traced to Governor Ugwuanyi's botched peace deal.
Narrating, the source said, "On Saturday, August 20, 2022, the PG Nwatu was preparing to go to the mortuary in the morning, to go and escort an ambulance that would bring the corpse of slain Dennis Ike to Oruku for burial. Ike was killed on June 6, 2022, by the same gang.
"Earlier, he (PG) had made preparations for a meeting between the elders of the community and the killer squad, recruited to kill everyone that supported Gov. Ugwuanyi's 30/70 boundary delineation, between Oruku and Umuode.
"The killer group made peace gestures which were accepted by the PG, the Igwe-elect and members of the community. After a series of meetings between the bandits, the PG and Igwe-elect, the bandits agreed to surrender their sophisticated weapons to the authorities, in exchange for amnesty and acceptance back into the community. It was also agreed that all pending cases against some of their members will be closed and those detained released.
"The PG and the elders asked them to return to the village and wrote to the Attorney General of the state, about their intention to settle out of court, so that lasting peace can return to the community. Unknown to the PG and the elders, the peace gesture was a trojan horse, designed to eliminate the leadership in Oruku.
"Before the PG could leave for the mortuary, the bandits stormed his residence and shot him dead in his compound. They proceeded to the late Dennis Ike's house and shot sporadically and dispersed the mourners gathered for his funeral. They warned that he will never be buried in the community. It is very unfortunate that the same bandits that shot Dennis Ike dead also killed the PG under the guise of peacemaking.
"Dennis Ike, before he was marked to be killed, made a voice note in the community's WhatsApp group called ‘Oruku Jiaba Development’ and ‘Ijeudo’ about 4 months ago, detailing how he was recruited to move millions of naira weekly to the residence of a retired federal permanent secretary.
"The late Dennis explained that the money came from the sale of Umuode's landed properties in Oruku, after they were chased out of their ancestral homes. The bandits laid an ambush around the late Dennis Ike's home, shot him dead and burnt his body and motorcycle beyond recognition because he spoke out against them."
Further, the source said, "In the same way, Mr. Zik Mba, a 70-year-old man was targeted and killed in broad daylight, in a market square in Oruku, because he refused to hand over 2 AK-47 rifles and 160 rounds of ammunition to one woman. Instead, he handed the weapons over to the Department of State Services (DSS).
"Trouble started in 2019 when Governor Ugwuanyi claimed to have settled the boundary dispute between Oruku and Umuode, but failed to fulfill his promises to the community. He literally abandoned those Oruku people who supported his peace process, to be eliminated by those who did not support the peace deal.
"The Igwe of the community was arrested on trumped-up allegations and jailed in Abuja, but the governor did nothing until he was killed on December 26, 2020, during a town hall meeting as he was trying to resettle those affected by the boundary delineation. The governor set up a panel of enquiry, led by Justice Eya to investigate his killing. Over one year after the panel report was submitted to the governor by the panel, he has failed to make the finding public nor prosecute those indicted.”
"The killer squad is currently threatening to kill members of the community. They are rejoicing that they have eliminated Governor Ugwuanyi's government from the community and that they are related to Peoples Democratic Party front runner, Barrister Peter Mba. They are also claiming that Peter Mba will return them to power in the community and annul Governor Ugwuanyi's boundary delineation between Oruku and Umuode.
"Since they have overpowered and eliminated supporters of Governor Ugwuanyi's peace deal in the community, they have claimed that their next target is the Igwe-elect, Hon. Ejike Ani and the Umuode community. They have sworn to sack Umuode before 2023," the source added.
The suspects are Chukwuka Nwatu Okenwa, Onyema Edeh and Emmanuel Nwobodo.