It was another round of revenge attack and bloodshed penultimate weekend, when a group of suspected cultists allegedly belonging to De-Gbam group, invaded Awarra Community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, killing the son of a prophetess suspected to be a member of a rival cult group, Dewell, over the purchase of a brand of alcoholic drink.
A source, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the incident occurred when one Chinedu Alele, the son of a prophetess, went to buy an alcoholic drink, Chelsea, and was attacked by some armed members of the De-Well group.
CHINEDU (ALELE) ONLY WENT AND BOUGHT THE HOT DRINK JUST TO ENTERTAIN HIS COLLEAGUES, WHO WERE VISITING HIM AT THAT MOMENT, AND DIDN’T KNOW THAT IT WAS AN ACTION THAT WOULD COST HIM HIS LIFE
The suspected cultists, who were said to have been angered by Alele for “using Chelsea, their preferred brand hot drink,” immediately opened fire and shot him dead.
“Chinedu (Alele) only went and bought the hot drink just to entertain his colleagues, who were visiting him at that moment, and didn’t know that it was an action that would cost him his life,” said a resident of the community, who refused to be identified.
Another resident, who also pleaded anonymity, said that Alele’s killing by the suspected rival cult group members has created fears amongst residents of the community. And to avoid being caught in a crossfire in the event of a reprisal by Alele’s colleagues, residents of Awarra have begun to leave in droves, packing their bags and baggage.
Residents said that the rival DeGbam and De-well cult groups’ fight was over supremacy and control of the entire community. Alele’s killing has once again resuscitated the spectre of revenge attacks by the members of the two rival cult groups.
Many members of the two rival cult groups sustained serious injuries in the shoot-out with the victims ferried out to unknown destinations by other gang members. At the family house of Alele, his mother, Prophetess Alele Onyibo, was seen wailing and rolling on the floor over the killing of her second son.
The prophetess lamented that her son had gone out to buy some drinks to entertain his visitors penultimate Saturday morning, but he never returned home alive. She said that she was waiting for Alele to get back home so that she could dish out food for him that morning before leaving for her church before the sad news of his untimely death was broken to her.
“This is a painful experience and the situation is becoming more painful that I can no longer bear it,” she said.
The prophetess denied insinuations that her late son was a member of a cult group, who was killed by rivals. “Chinedu was not a cultist, he was a son I love so much. If I had known he would die this way, I would have known spiritually, and if he was a cultist, I would have known. I am preparing him for a better life in future; he heeded my advice. Whosoever accuses him of cultism must be a liar and it cannot be well with them. They must pay for it,” she said.
Meanwhile, after the heat of the violence cooled and calm returned to the community, Alele’s family members buried their late son. But a community leader, who pleaded anonymity, blamed the Imo State Government for not providing security to the residents of the community.
He said that the four soldiers patrolling the community could not adequately protect the whole community against the violence being perpetrated by the members of the two cult groups. He suggested that more security agents should be deployed in the community to check further reprisal attacks by the suspected cult members.
