Monarch cries out over assassination of community leader

The traditional ruler of Iggah community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, HRH, Igwe Herbert Ukuta, has raised the alarm yesterday that his community has been besieged by gun-wielding youths who enjoy the protection of suspected land-grabbers in the community.

The monarch while bemoaning the assassination of the President General of his Town Union, Raphael Amuche on Thursday night by suspected AK-47-wielding youths in the community, called on governments to expedite actions in order to save further loss of innocent lives.

He also said that his subjects have deserted the community for fear of falling into the hands of the gunmen. He stated that the President General of the Town Union was shot in the bathroom as he bent down to scoop water around 9pm.

“He was killed by AK-47 wielding youths who laid ambush on him in a banana plantation close to his Asadu village, Iggah. After killing him, the suspects escaped through bush paths in the dark of the night. 

“Enugu State Government is trying in its efforts to save the situation but I want more efforts channeled towards arresting these boys; we know them.”

Most of them have criminal records in state’s CID and are well armed with, at least, 13 AK-47 riffles. We don’t know the number of pump action riffles and other small arms in their possession.

“They are responsible for everything happening in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, including burning of police stations, kidnapping and recently, killing of my innocent subjects in cold blood; people that did not do anything except that they are fighting to reclaim our community lands allegedly sold out by suspected land-grabbers in my community.

“I want all the security agents in the state to relocate to Iggah so as to arrest all these people wasting innocent lives in my community,” he said.

Efforts to get Police confirmation on the development proved abortive. Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Daniel Ndukwe did not pick repeated calls on his mobile number.

Meanwhile, Valentine Anikwe, a son to a native doctor in Iggah community, David Anikwe, who was allegedly assassinated by the gunmen on February 17, 2022, has called on the government to bring killers of his father to justice.  He said a gang assassinated his father at about 10 pm in the night while he was resting in front of his house.