From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The monarch of the community of Umuekegwu Akokwa in Ideato North council in Imo State, Eze Michael Anyaoha said the community has commenced the cleansing of the land, following the deadly clash on 12 August 12, 2016 between some members of the Hausa community and indigenes of the community which left six persons dead and several others injured.
This was just as the member representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, Austine Chukwukere, who visited the family of the victims at the weekend, appealed for calm, while assuring of his preparedness to assist in whatever way to cushion the effect of their tragic loss.
Eze Anyaoha said it was a taboo to spill the blood of a human being, irrespective of the circumstances, and worst still, during the harvest season. He said for the community to celebrate the new yam festival, the land has to be cleansed and the community, too.
“The cause of the clash was as a result of a Hausa security guard who attacked a nine-year-old boy, Onyenaturuchi, for knocking on the gate of the house where he lives; he also attacked and killed Mrs. Beatrice Ibe and another young lady who had tried to rescue the boy. But when he had realised the implication of his action, he stabbed himself.”
“We had not seen anything like that before, because it is a sacrilege to spill blood of a human being in this community.
“The land has to be purified before the community could do anything, and that is what we are preparing to do”.
Similarly, the chairman of the council of Chiefs, Anthony Onyema Uche, said that the man who ignited the clash had only lived in the community for less than a year. “We don’t believe that you must kill somebody to settle a quarrel and every indigene of this community knows that even the Northerners who have been living in this community for several years knows that as well because life is sacred, but the man who caused this problem had only lived in the community for less than one year.
Like our Eze has already told you the elders of the community and the clan heads are going to cleanse the land of this sacrilege to avert evil befalling the people”. He disclosed.
Meanwhile, Hon. Austine Chukwukere who had earlier paid a condolence visit to the Monarch of the community urged the people not to take laws into their hands but to continue to be vigilant and report all suspicious characters to the law enforcement agencies .
“I am here to commiserate with your community over this very unfortunate incident and I want to urge peace on every one because vengeance is for God, we know how painful it is for someone to lose a loved one especially in the manner which they met their death. I want to assure you that I will assist in whatever way to help less your pains”.