According to him, the assassination attempt was carried out by armed hoodlums allegedly sent by the Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prince Lawrence Ezeh.
Tension over the leadership crisis in the Mburubu community, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, continues to rise as one of the community leaders, Hon. Egbo Obinna Stephen, recounted how he narrowly escaped what he described as a coordinated assassination attempt on him.
According to him, the assassination attempt was carried out by armed hoodlums allegedly sent by the Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prince Lawrence Ezeh.
Speaking with SaharaReporters during a fact-finding visit to the community, Stephen narrated how the fully-armed hoodlums stormed his residence four times on the night of Friday, October 31, 2025, to assassinate him.
Stephen, who said the night marked a turning point in the worsening crisis linked to the lingering traditional rulership tussle in the community, said when the hoodlums did not see him, following his escape, they shattered his house and properties with gunshots.
According to him, the alleged assailants attacked his home on the eve of the New Yam Festival organised by the traditional rulership aspirant in the community, Ozo Jerry Onuokaibe, and scheduled to commence on November 1.
He said that around 7:00 p.m. on October 31, residents became uneasy after buses allegedly conveying the hoodlums were seen arriving at the community’s market, Nkwo Mburubu Market.
Stephen said, “What happened was that on the night of October 31st, being Friday, our traditional ruler, Ozor Jerry Onuokaibe, was preparing for the New Yam Festival on November 1st.
“On October 31st, by 7 pm, we saw about four buses which landed at Know Market. I left the market and returned home.”
He said that upon sighting the unusual movement and sensing imminent danger, he immediately left the market area.
By about 8:30 p.m. the same night, he said, the atmosphere in the community had grown tense as loud war songs and threatening chants echoed from different directions, heightening fear among residents.
At that point, his wife advised him to leave their home temporarily to avoid being targeted, knowing that he is a loyalist and supporter of Onuokaibe.
“At around 8:30 pm to 9 pm, we started hearing normal songs, then they started war songs. Then my wife asked me to shift because, as I'm an ardent supporter of Igwe Jerry Onuokaibe, they must possibly come to my home,” Stephen said.
Acting on her advice, Stephen said he sought refuge at the residence of Onuokaibe, noting that security operatives were present at the location, which he believed offered him some measure of safety.
“I left and went to stay at the residence of Igwe Onuokaibe. Around 2:00 a.m., on November 1st, my wife called on the phone and told me that the hoodlums came to my home about four times,” he said.
Stephen continued, “They came, the first one searching for me, but they couldn't see me. They came second and third. The fourth one, they came, and they didn't see me, they started breaking everything in my home using guns.”
“They fired shots all over my compound, inside my house, on the roof,” he said, pointing at some gunshot holes in his house.
Stephen lamented that the assailants caused extensive damage to his home and destroyed valuables, leaving his family in shock and fear.
He said that at the time he installed his glass windows, the price was N35,000 per piece, but currently, “when I consulted the person who fixed it before, he said it is N130,000 each now.”
“This zinc, when I bought it, was N37,000 per bundle, but it is about N80,000 per bundle now,” he said.
He said his wife and other family members who were present during the attack later told him the armed attackers moved aggressively around the compound, issuing threats and firing gunshots before eventually leaving.
Upon learning of the attack and realising that the hoodlums were still roaming the community and allegedly searching for him, Stephen said he decided to flee immediately to save his life.
He said he secretly escaped from the Mburubu community through bush paths and made his way to Enugu metropolis, where he sought refuge.
“After four days, when I came back, I started fixing the windows and other things they destroyed,” he told SaharaReporters.
When SaharaReporters asked if he knew or could identify those behind the attack, Stephen answered affirmatively, insisting that the perpetrators were known and were sent by the commissioner, Ezeh.
He said his wife and his brother, who witnessed the incident firsthand, recognised some of the attackers as members of the Mburubu community, alleging that the group was led by the chairman of the community’s Neighbourhood Watch.
He said, “Yes, of course, there are eyewitnesses. My wife was here, and one of my brothers came here that night.”
Stephen claimed that the motive behind the attack was not criminal but political, linking it directly to the ongoing traditional rulership tussle in the community.
He alleged that Commissioner Ezeh sponsored and deployed the hoodlums because of his opposition stance in the contest for the traditional leadership.
Stephen identified himself as the former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the former Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in the Mburubu community.
Lat Tuesday, SaharaReporters had reported that the lingering traditional leadership crisis in the Mburubu community on Monday, December 1, 2025, after the Mburubu General Assembly accused Ezeh of arming youths with guns and orchestrating violent attacks that left several people injured and properties destroyed.
The commissioner was further accused of launching sustained media attacks and security clampdowns against one of the community’s prominent members and traditional rulership contender, Engr. Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe.
Confirming the allegations, Chief Aniobi Vincent Okafor, a stakeholder and member of the Mburubu General Assembly, said the renewed clashes were tied to the protracted traditional rulership tussle.
Community leaders noted that the situation worsened in October and November 2025, following a series of violent incidents, destruction of property, and alleged assassination attempts on Onuokaibe, which they claimed were orchestrated by Ezeh.
SaharaReporters visited the community on Thursday, December 4, 2025, where multiple victims recounted being brutalised during attacks carried out by armed thugs allegedly hired by the commissioner in the traditional rulership tussle.
But in a rejoinder issued by his media aide, Dr Chidipeters Okorie, the Commissioner denied all the allegations, describing them as “desperate fabrications” circulated by “the same small group” bent on tarnishing his reputation and destabilising the community.
However, SaharaReporters was informed that the crisis took another turn when the Nigeria Police Force, Nkanu East Divisional Command, arrested the chairman of the community’s Neighbourhood Watch following fresh allegations that hoodlums were sent to vandalise Mburubu Community Secondary School.
Community sources allege that the Neighbourhood Watch chairman, popularly known as “Akpaka,” was installed with the backing of the Commissioner and was among those who led the October 31 attacks on homes within the community.
While police authorities are yet to release a detailed statement on the arrest or the specific charges against the Neighbourhood Watch chairman, residents said the development has further exposed the depth of the crisis and the alleged involvement of local power structures in the violence.
The escalating unrest has drawn widespread concern from youth groups and civil society organisations across the state.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Ohaneze Youth Council had publicly appealed to Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to intervene urgently.
The group also called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the allegations, the deployment of adequate security to protect lives and property, and decisive steps to restore peace and order in Mburubu.
Residents lamented that fear has become constant in the community, with many families living on edge amid reports of sporadic threats and intimidation.
Community leaders warned that without swift government intervention, the Igweship dispute could degenerate further, posing a serious threat to stability in the community.