Beheadings in Igboland! Any end within reach?
4 min read
Beheadings in Igboland in the Southeastern part of Nigeria is gradually turning into Afghanistanism. There is a deep fear in the region among the inhabitants of the wide wild geopolitical zone. For over a period of one year, non state actors and yet to be identified gunmen have held the region hostage to the tragedy of the collective existence of the people.
For now, the people of the region live in fear due to the issue of violence. Now the trend has gone so embarrassing to the people. The act of beheading has become the new normal in the once highly peaceful Igboland. Umuaka Times examines the issue below.
On September 19th, 1996, an 11 year old boy who was hawking groundnuts in the streets of Owerri met his tragic death in the hands of Mr Vincent Duru and his fellow criminals in the infamous Otokoto Hotel saga. The poor boy, Master Ikechukwu Okoronkwo was lured into the hotel by the criminals who poisoned him and beheaded the poor boy.
Around March 2016, Ebuka Nwaigbo, a 300 level student of Abia State University and his friend Samuel Ethelbert were beheaded by some terrorists suspected to be university cultists. After beheading their victims, they used their heads as goal posts and went into football game fearlessly.
Still in 2020, some area boys suspected to be cultists murdered two persons in Oghalegbu community, Okija in Ihiala Local Government Council of Anambra State. “One of the victims had his head cut off and taken away by the assailants in the presence of his wailing octogenarian mother and other siblings”. Umuaka Times later gathered that rival cultism activities have led to the deaths of over 3 men in similar circumstances. The news had it that one of the victims was beheaded by his murderers. In October 2020, suspected hoodlums, numbering over 100 reportedly hacked to death an unidentified policeman deployed at Ogidi Police Station in Anambra State. The policeman was reportedly beheaded and his headless body set ablaze by his suspected killers.
Rivers State, a multi-ethnic society in the South Southern part of Nigeria where the Igbo also live, had its own share of the beheading criminality as dare devil criminals stormed Rumuji Police Station, killed and beheaded a police officer and fled almost immediately.
Imo State seems to have taken a batter dose of the beheading madness by yet to be identified gunmen. Umuaka Times gathered that about 5 persons had been beheaded in the state within a specific couple of weeks. The people of the state and the entire Southeast, absolutely appear helpless.
In Orsu Local Government Area of the state, earlier this year, a gateman working in the country home of Hon Ekene Nnodimele who represents the local council at the state House of Assembly was beheaded. After beheading the poor man, the country home of the Hon member was set ablaze by the same yet to be identified gunmen. An APC chieftain in the state Mr Jonathan Ugochukwu had his head beheaded and his house set ablaze also. The confusion people have is that they are yet to determine if the beheadings are political or commercial as a result of businesses that went awry.
Just recently Imo people woke up on a certain weekend and heard the sad news that two soldiers have been beheaded somewhere in Orlu Senatorial Zone. The victims simply identified as Linus A.M and his wife who was a member of the Nigerian Army also were said to have pleaded for their lives before they were killed and beheaded by yet to be apprehended gunmen.
The list will continue to go on and on because this seems to the latest malady in Igboland of today. In Umuaka Municipal Council, a couple of months ago, bad boys stormed the Njaba Police Station, bombed the station and beheaded a police officer. The news of a man who was driving his Toyota vehicle along Orlu Owerri Road came with deep shock to the people of Orlu as the fellow was also beheaded by unknown gunmen and his legs and hands chopped off. The incident took place at Okwudor Junction in Njaba LGA.
The most recent one which set the entire Southeast on fire was the abduction and beheading of Hon Okechukwu Okoye, the lawmaker who until his death represented the constituency of Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the Anambra State House of Assembly known as Aguata 2 Constituency. According to some reports monitored by Umuaka Times last week, the Hon member was abducted alongside with his aide, Mr Cyril Chiegboka, along Aguluzigbo Road in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.
Several Igbo groups have so far condemned these acts of violence and beheadings because they are alien to Igbo behaviour. There have been calls by some people in and outside Igboland to the government to look beyond IPOB and ESN in finding those behind these acts. IPOB has at several occasions issued press statements condemning such highly criminal activities and horrifying expeditions and disassociated itself from the mayhem. For now, Ndi Igbo are facing an urgent need to establish solutions on how to end the beheading of citizens in the Southeast.
