IPOB: Igbo Ekunie Condemns The Senseless Ozubulu Massacre And Calls For Full Investigation
We
the Igbo Ekunie Initiative, IEI, comprising individuals in Nigeria and the
Diaspora; condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless, gruesome and
violent murder of innocent worshippers at Saint Philips Catholic church,
Amakwa, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo LGA, in Anambra state on Sunday the 6th of
August 2017 when some armed men opened fire during the Sunday service at the
church thereby killing some women, men and children and also inflicting
grievous injuries on many of the worshipers in
the church. At the last count, more than
12 persons lost their lives and countless others were maimed with life
threatening injuries while some are still battling for their lives at various
hospitals
We
mourn the death of our brothers and sisters and convey our most heartfelt
sympathy to the families concerned and pray that God should give them the
fortitude to bear the immense losses occasioned by the shooting tragedy.
We
submit that every Nigerian is entitled to freedom of worship without
molestation as enshrined under Article 38 of the Nigerian Constitution and nobody deserves to have his or
her life abruptly cut short in such a violent manner and there is no
justification for the cowardly and senseless attack on defenceless and law abiding citizens. The church is a solemn place
of worship and should be seen and treated as a peaceful place to seek refuge.
We
find it very appalling and deplorable that such an attack was able to be
launched unchallenged and undetected in Anambra state which arguably is the
state with the greatest number of security check points in Nigeria.
We
condemn the hasty and premature manner over which the governor of Anambra state
Chief Willie Obiano and the Anambra state Commissioner of Police Alhaji Garba
Umar, without any probe or detailed facts, tried to rationalize the brutal
attack as a follow up of a drug feud from far away South Africa. Their
ill-fated and ill-advised conclusion raised more questions than answers.
We
reject in its totality all the rumours which are currently being peddled as the
reason for the senseless attack and hereby call for a comprehensive
investigation of the shooting incident
with the aim of finding the immediate and remote causes of the attack, the
motive for the killing and a complete disclosure of the names of the planners
and perpetrators of the attack coupled with the proactive and credible steps to
bring the persons to book. Concrete steps should also be taken to ensure
that such a violent crime should not be carried out again in Anambra state in
particular and Nigeria in general.
We
conclude by noting that the state government and the police are under public
scrutiny as the world is eagerly waiting for the outcome of the investigations
and accompanying punishment. Finally, we call for a speedy and ground breaking investigation
to unravel the mystery behind the senseless killing.
Signed:
Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke
President Igbo Ekunie Initiative
Email: president@igboekunie.org
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