Condemnation has trailed the gruesome murder of a young man from Obeagu Awkunanaw community in Enugu South Local Council of Enugu State, Onyedika Chukwu Ede, with the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) calling for an immediate investigation.

Ede was reportedly attacked and killed by armed assailants at the community’s project site in Ndinwuba village.

Eyewitnesses said the deceased and other members of the community were working unarmed on their communal project site when the assailants, allegedly backed by armed security operatives, invaded the area and unleashed terror on the villagers. The victim, a native of Ndinwuba village, was said to have been stabbed in the abdomen and died before receiving medical attention.

Reacting to the incident, HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, described the killing as “barbaric, inhuman, and a direct assault on the sanctity of life and the peace-loving people of Enugu State.”

The association lamented that the attack occurred in broad daylight and in the presence of witnesses, yet the perpetrators were able to carry out the act without immediate arrest or deterrence.

HURIWA called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to launch a full-scale investigation into the incident, identify the killers, and uncover the circumstances surrounding the attack. It stressed that bringing the culprits to justice was the only way to restore public confidence in the rule of law and the protection of citizens’ lives in Enugu State.

“The Enugu State government has the legal obligation to protect citizens from the unlawful termination of their precious lives. This is one extrajudicial execution too many in the same community,” HURIWA lamented.

The group also urged the Enugu State government to take decisive action to prevent further bloodshed and ensure that land disputes within the state are resolved through legal and peaceful means rather than violence or intimidation.

While condoling with the family of the deceased and the entire Obeagu Awkunanaw community, HURIWA reaffirmed its commitment to standing with victims of injustice and called for immediate government intervention to forestall an escalation of violence in the area.