As reported by Sun:-
At about 8.30am on Sunday, seven of
the dead were clustered in one room while the lifeless bodies of an
unidentified woman and her friend were found in the second room.
According to investigations the nine dead persons,
including the only son of the family, Paschal Njoku, his wife, Juliana
and their five children, were home to bury their mother, Felicia Njoku
last Saturday, but none survived to tell the story.
Narrating what she could remember to DG at the scene of the
ugly incident, the second daughter of the family, Kate, gave the names
of the deceased citizens as Paschal Njoku, Mrs. Juliana Njoku, Ebere
Njoku, Jackline Njoku, Ifunanya Njoku, Uchechi Njoku and Chy-boy Njoku.
While saying that Mrs. Christiana Uba and one of her unidentified
friends that accompanied her to the funeral, died in the incident, Kate
also lamented that villagers only woke up Sunday to behold a morbid
spectacle.
Speaking also, an inlaw to the Njokus, Mr. Ogbonna Awuzie, recalled
with grief that Paschal and members of his family went on self exile to
Owerri because of what he termed “the persistent threat to their lives
by one of their relations” (names withheld).
“Paschal and members of his family were given sanctuary in Umuodu,
Owerri, in the past one year due to serious threat to his life and
property. He only went home to bury his mother last Saturday and by
Sunday morning we were told that they all died in very mysterious
circumstances”, Awuzie recounted with grief.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Obi-Njoku, who spoke to Vanguard
at the scene, described the incident as “a huge loss and indeed a
calamity but I have advised that a post mortem examination be carried
out to ascertain the cause of death”.
The situation however became fully charged when a truck load of
youths from yet to be identifies town stormed the rural village, started
shooting into the air and smashed the windscreens of cars parked at the
scene.
Some of the sympathizers lost valuable personal effects in their bid
to scamper into safety, while the policemen and Emekuku youths regrouped
to match force with force.
As at the time of going to press, one boy from the camp of the
invading youths was captured, beaten mercilessly and was being
interrogated with a view to ascertaining who their sponsor was.
Meanwhile, the remains of the dead were still lying in the rooms at about 11.30am at Umuakuru, Emekuku.
