Anambra State Governor, Soludo
Nibo Massacre: Police signals frustration with investigation
Investigations into the killing of about a dozen young men in Nibo and Okpuno villages in Awka , Anambra State, appears to be running too slow and without direction following signals from the police that the right leads are not yet visible.
Also, whereas some prominent indigenes of the state express outrage over the matter others seem to be seeking political advantage in the tragedy by pushing blames on the political party that runs the administration of the state.
Our correspondents who follow the shooting spree reported that no person is yet in custody after nearly 36 hours of the tragedy which struck on Sunday, with the police in the state declaring on Monday that they have been unable glean out sufficient information on the incident to support investigation.
The Oracle Today reports that gunmen tracked some members of rival gangs to the Nibo village during a traditional Onwa Asaa festival and sparked a gun battle in which about eight people were reportedly killed and several others wounded.
A separate gun battle was also reported in Okpuno village where another three people were reported dead. It was not however clear whether all of the victims were suspected gang members as the killings were not linked to armed robbery or violent disputes.
Some of the eyewitnesses said the assailants had stormed a restaurant where some of the targeted victims reveled during the celebration and opened fire on them without ant verbal engagement. Others said there was exchange of gunfire among the young men who were suspected to be gang members.
The Nigerian Police Force, Anambra State Command, stated that the shootings fall in pattern of gang rivalry as all the victims were targeted.
The police was unable to take the bodies of the deceased for autopsy or retain them for forensic analysis as they said relations of the victims hurriedly buried the corpses and declined to offer any useful information that could assist with investigation.
Meanwhile the police have come under pressure from the government, politicians and several groups in Anambra to unravel the matter and bring culprits to book just as the shocking videos of the attacks continued to trend on the social media.
Former governor of the state and the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, while condemning the cold blood murder of the young men urged the police to pursue and apprehend the culprits for prosecution.
“I call on the authorities to act swiftly in bringing the perpetrators of this horrific crime to justice and ensuring that such incidents are never repeated. Nigeria must become a nation where safety and justice prevail over violence and lawlessness,” he stated
Mr Obi declared in In a statement on his X account that the killings were senseless and a profound loss to the families of the victims, the state and the nation at large.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the state had expressed dismay over the matter and lamented how young men kill themselves carelessly and leave the parents to agonize.
In hinting that the shootings could be cult related clash, he declared that the state would no longer accommodate cultists. He advised all cultists still in the state to leave in good time, adding that he had required the police in the state to maintain a hot pursuit until the culprits are caught.
But the police appeared disabled and helpless when the spokesman declared on Monday that they are unable to move fast due to little of no corporation from the victims’ families in terms of voluntary information that would assist in investigations.
Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, said that some indigenes of Nibo community were suppressing an investigation into the incident.
Itam who visited the community on Monday decried the haste with which relatives of the deceased victims buried the corpse without clearing with the law authorities.
The situation, according to him, has disrupted what would have provided a lead to cracking the identity of those behind the dastardly act.
Spokesman for the Command, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, a Superintendent of Police, promised that the Police will double efforts to unravel the identity of those behind the killings.
“Anambra State Police Command remains committed to the ongoing investigation and to arrest the perpetrators of the cult-related killings in Nibo yesterday 20/10/2024.
“The Command also frown at the act of some deceased’s relatives to bury evidence, suppress information and disrupt the ongoing investigation.
“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police CP Nnaghe Obono Itam today 21/10/2024 led Police Operatives to the scene on a spot assessment and Stated that the Command had redoubled its efforts to leave no stone unturned in hunting down the assailants.”
It is not clear whether the suspected gang members were students of the various tertiary institutions in the Awka town which hosts two universities and some colleges of education.
