The massacre last week Sunday at St Peters’ Catholic Church, Ozubulu, in Anambra State, which left about 13 persons dead and scores injured, remains shocking even after several days. Speculations soon splashed across social media and online news portals, some of which ran screaming headlines that insurgent group Boko Haram was at it again. The alarming casualty figures also dished out worsened the situation. Up till now, many are yet to come to terms with the submission of both the police and the state government who had repeatedly explained that the Sunday massacre had nothing to do with terrorism, perhaps due to the magnitude of it all.
The violent, tragic events have left many members of the Catholic church in a state of contemplation, while others have already resolved not to belong to the church anymore, especially those who hold the opinion that the church leadership compromised by allowing an alleged drug baron, to have singlehandedly built the church without proper investigations into his source of income. Some of the residents who spoke to Daily Trust, said the acceptance of the church leadership of the alleged drug baron contributed largely to the ugly incident.
A resident, Tony Obidiegwu, said the rate at which societal values and norms supposed to be upheld, are being sacrificed for money, especially by members of the clergy, calls for serious concern. “Nnewi diocese should apologize for allowing a drug baron to build God’s place of worship. The church should go for penance,” he added. He also expressed fears that from the way things are going, religion may soon join history in the archives and museums.
Emenike Achike, a parishioner, who said he had resolved to pull out from the church, faulted the decision of the Diocese to open a bank account to which all funds for the care of the victims will be deposited for proper accountability. Describing the decision as unnecessary and another means of milking dry the already impoverished members, Achike said the issue of diversion would not be ruled out. He wondered how much an average member of the congregation would contribute that would take care of the faithful terrorised in the course of worship.
Another resident, who said he narrowly escaped gunshots in the incident, said the security assurances by the government and security agencies should not be trifled with, as it is not the first time such promises have been made. “I think it is only a fool that would not want to learn from previous experience. I would rather stay at home and watch church programmes from television,” he said.
Meanwhile, the church is under lock and key, with the entire premises cordoned off as investigations continued. Residents of Umu-Ozubulu who spoke to Daily Trust, expressed sadness, with one of them describing the shootings as “senseless killing of our brothers and sisters”. They urged the police to fish out the culprits, and prosecute them accordingly “without any cover-up”. Another one, who requested for anonymity, described it as a national tragedy. “The police should do their jobs, and nab the killers, and should please not let this become another case like that of the infamous kidnapper Evans,” he said.
Daily Trust also observed that while residents were trying to go about their daily affairs, there was tension in the air, with an overlaying atmosphere of apprehension.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, had on the same day of the incident, explained that the killings had nothing to do with terrorist attacks, insisting that the case was purely a case of feud between two individuals. He described the act as sacrilegious, but added that it would be premature to disclose the identities of those involved. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident was as a result of a feud between two individuals who are from the community, but live outside Nigeria. One of the individuals built the church where the incident occurred. It is definitely not a terrorist attack in the mould of Boko Haram or a herdsmen attack,” he told Daily Trust.
Umar said the command has invited some members of the community in connection with the incident, promising to brief the public after investigations are concluded.
Corroborating the commissioner’s explanation, the governor, Chief Willie Obiano, in a special radio and television broadcast reiterated that what happened in Ozubulu was neither a terror attack nor violent action by some agitators. He said what happened in Ozubulu was a tragic dimension of a long battle between two business partners who are from the same town. “I have been fully informed that this dangerous conflict has been going on for a while in the country where they both live outside Nigeria before they decided to bring the conflict home. But let me assure you that Anambra is too hot for them to operate here, going forward. We are dealing with a dangerous gang war that has spilled over to Anambra State from another African country. But this is the last time it will happen under my watch!”
Obiano said: “This explanation, I believe, has eased fears that the incident may have been caused by either some terrorist organizations or some members of some groups of agitators in the country.”
On their part, however, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) described as untrue that the killing was caused by a business deal between brothers. A press release signed the Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful, said the conclusion by the police that the killing was a result of a business gone wrong in far away South Africa was a hasty one. “It is unfortunate that the Nigeria Police who are required to enter into detailed investigation with the view to apprehending the culprits, merely concluded within an hour that they know the cause and the perpetrators of the crime. We don’t know when they acquired this level of efficiency and excellence that enabled them to conclude their investigations within an hour. Does it mean they had prior knowledge of the crime? If so, why weren’t measures put in place to preempt it?”
Amidst the multitude of submissions – some confusing – one of the alleged drug barons, Aloysius Ikegwuonwu, fingered as the prime target in the Sunday shooting, has been absolved by some of the stakeholders, including the chairman of the local council under which the incident took place and the chairman of [Ikegwuonwu’s] foundation.
The President-General of Ozubulu and the chairman of Ekwusigo local government area of the community, Engr Ikenna Ofodeme, had during a press briefing, absolved Ikegwuonwu, a member of the community from the allegation, saying he left the town two days before the incident. “The man being fingered to be the target was here with us two days ago. He even played football with youths and bought boots for them. Why didn’t they go after him throughout the period he was around?” he queried.
Ofodeme however did not rule out political coloration to the incident, saying some persons might have cashed into it to score political points ahead of the governorship election in the state.
Also speaking, Jovita Offomata, who is an aide to Aloysius Ikegwuonu, dispelled as rumor that his principal was a drug baron. He said the stories portraying him as a drug peddler were malicious. He described the police preliminary investigation as corroborated by the state governor, Willie Obiano, that the attack was a gang war imported into the state from abroad as false and unfounded. He said his principal was an estate developer as well as an international business man.
Offomata added: “My boss resides in South Africa. He is into estate development and importation of beverages and spare parts from China. He developed many estates in South Africa and Nigeria, which he sold. He has built three churches in the community and through the foundation has assisted so many people; including scholarships to indigent students and empowered others in Ozubulu and beyond.”
The governor has also assured: “We’re on top of this situation. We are completely in charge here. The people directly and remotely involved in this crime are known to the law enforcement agencies. But no suspect, no matter how highly-placed, is above the law. So, we have taken bold steps to bring them to book and restore the peace and tranquility that Anambra State has enjoyed. There is no cause for fear or alarm here. Our churches and places of worship are safe and people should not be discouraged from going to church to serve their God, because what happened in Amakwa, Ozubulu is an isolated case. It will not happen again.”
As accusations and counter-accusations continue to trail the ugly incident, the question in the lips of many residents of the Ozubulu community is: what kind of business feud would warrant someone to unleash such a terror attack in a place of worship, and on such a large number of innocent people, including women and children? Survivors, and other members of the church who were ‘privileged’ not to have attended church service that day, remain bewildered and in trauma, also undecided on whether or not to continue attending that church again. This is even amidst government assurances that the state still remains the safest in the country, as well as the arrests made so far by the police.