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Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Sunday Oji, a 20-year-old student of Comprehensive Secondary School,Ogwuma Edda, in Afikpo South Local Government area of Ebonyi state, has narrated to journalists how he narrowly escaped being buried alive in the bush by a cult gang.
Ekoli, Owutu and Ogwuma communities in Afikpo South local government have in the past one month been embroiled in bloody cult clashes which have resulted to the gruesome murder of at least three young men as a result of gun violence and destruction of property in the communities.
Oji, who spoke from his hospital bed in Afikpo, said the cult group mistook him for a rival cult member and dragged him into a bush where they had already digged a grave to bury him.
The victim, who has machete cuts all over his body, explained that it took the intervention of local hunters who came to the scene upon hearing his cries for help for him to escape being buried alive.
He said the hoodlums had already covered his body inside the grave with dirt, leaving only his head, when they heared the movement of people approaching the scene before running away.
Oji said that the hoodlums had abducted him from his village Ogwuma and took him to Ekoli, a neighbouring community, where they planned to bury him alive.
According to Orji, the thugs claimed they were avenging the murder of one of their members who was shot dead last week in the area.
Oji narrated his ordeal:
“While I was in our compound, one of my friends came and told me to escort him to buy something. When we reached the store, we saw three boys with three bikes destroying and looting the shop of one guy called Imo Orji. One of them came to me and asked me ‘where is Imo? Is Imo around?’ and I told him them that I don’t know. Another one asked me if I followed that guy and went there. I told him ‘which place?’, that I didn’t follow anybody to anywhere. Before I could finish speaking, the other person interrupted me and said that I followed the guy… Before I could know what was happening, they started hitting and matcheting me with cutlass, saying that I was the one that carried the gun and shot the guy that day. I told them it’s not me and I’ve not carried gun before in my life. They said it’s not true that I’m the one. When they noticed that people had started noticing them, they bundled me into one of the bikes and zoomed off and took me to Ekoli. Later they took me to Ekoli plantation farm in Ibuo where they dug ground and put me and cover me with sand up to my chest. I was inside there suffocating, shouting before they heard footsteps of people coming and they ran away.”
In an interview with reporters, the traditional ruler of Umunna Autonomous community, Ezeogo Dickson Obo, described the security situation in the area as pathetic and terrible and called on security agencies and government to intervene.
“The security situation here in my community Umunna Community is very dicey, challenging and bad. We are calling the state government and other security agencies to come to our rescue. Some people from the neighbouring community of Ekoli usually come here to beseige us, causing problems because they know that we don’t have somebody to speak for us. This is not the first time they have been attacking us. The community is feeling bad and sad on the attack of Sunday Orji. We’re telling the government to intervene.”
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Ebonyi State Command, Loveth Oda, said that nine suspects in connection with the recent killings and violence in the affected communities were in police custody and would be prosecuted.
“Though we arrested thirty six of them, they were screened and nine of them are in detention. Investigations are ongoing and more will be arrested,” the police spokeswoman said.
