…Pastor, one other shot dead, council boss lost residence
BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A pastor in charge of a new generation church in the Nkaliki axis of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State was shot dead during youth rampage in the area, Monday morning.
The pastor in charge of Glorious Gospel Fire Assembly, Nkaliki, John Onu, was visited by sudden death during youth unrest which started on Sunday night and lasted till Monday morning, even as they set ablaze the country-home of the Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area and a hotel owned by his Special Assistant.
Eyewitnesses said that the security agents shot sporadically to disperse the irate youths but a stray bullet hit the pastor living opposite the hotel who was observing his morning devotion.
The bullet reportedly hit him on heart side and perforated his back.
The Point gathered that the youths were protesting alleged killing of a young man by an Ebubeagu security operative in their community for daring to overtake their patrol vehicle on the highway.
Investigations revealed that the Ebubeagu security outfit was invited by the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Chukwudi Onyibe to arrest a suspect at Ebiaunuhu Community in Abakaliki LGA.
Eye witness accounts said that on their way to the scene of the arrest, one of the security personnel clashed with a motorist who overtook their vehicle with the incident resulting in the death of the motorist.
The Chairman of the Local Government Area, Emmanuel Nwangele told Newsmen that as a result of the death, youths in the community marched to his compound and set his house ablaze before moving to Hatchery Road Abakaliki where they also burnt a section of a Guest House belonging to his Special Assistant.
He said, “I was about to go to the village that night to calm the youths but somebody around me told me that it was late, that it was better in the morning.
“It was after that that I was informed that somebody died and that they were rampaging to the extent that they came to one Bosco Guest House and were dispersed by the police.
“I was called that they also moved to my own house and also set it ablaze, destroying so many things. I said why, when I don’t know the genesis of the problem?
“Late in the night, they also went back to that Bosco’s hotel. According to information, they were even trying to come to Abakaliki Local Government headquarters but security agencies prevented them. Then this morning, they repeated.
“The Bosco, Chukwudi Onyibe is my SA on IGR. But information reaching me say that they conveyed Ebubeagu people to go and arrest somebody who stole something and on the way to that place, they had a clash with somebody who overtook their vehicle and from there, they had some squabble and it was led by one soldier from our village who was posted outside but was in the village.”
Nwangele said he could only relay information made available to him, which also affirmed that Onyibe was not physically present at the scene of the incident.
It was gathered that to repel the rampaging youth, security operatives were deployed to the scene and that they had to fire sporadic gun shots to bring the situation under control.
An eyewitness, Obiechina Michael alleged that it was during the violent confrontation that a stray bullet hit Pastor John, who was praying in his apartment in a three story building at 11 Hatchery Road, Abakaliki.
Another eyewitness, Okpo Cecilia said though the victim was rushed to the hospital, she was afraid if he could make it.
Security Consultant to Ebonyi State Government, Stanley Okoroemegha described the incident as unfortunate, noting that those responsible for the killing of the man at Ebiaunuhu community which triggered the rampage were already in police custody.
The Assistant Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Philip Levi said normalcy had returned to the area and that investigations into the crisis had commenced.
