FRESH facts emerged yesterday that the family of the late Ozo Chibuike Chukwuka, a suspected cult leader whose burial ceremony led to the death of over 20 persons at Ebenebe in Awka North local government area of Anambra State weekend, was warned never to organize the ceremony because of his activities during his lifetime.
It was gathered that despite the warning, members of his own cult group went ahead to organize the burial, including printing of banners and invitation cards.
But as the body was still lying in state, the rival group stormed the compound and shot indiscriminately, killing many people and wounding others in the process.
Chukwuka was gunned down in a broad daylight at Amansea Produce checkpoint where he held sway on daily basis, forcing drivers to part with their money.
An indigene of Ebenebe, Mr. Godwin Okpala who described the 34-year-old Chukwuka as a notorious cultist, said that after his death, a rival cult group demanded that he should not be accorded a proper burial because of the number of lives he had wasted, otherwise the family should be prepared to face the consequences.
According to Okpala, Chukwuka was a notorious and dreaded cultist who was feared during his lifetime.
He said: “Unfortunately, many of our people were hailing him and after he was shot dead on December 30, 2021, his rival gangs warned that he should not be given a proper burial. They warned that if they did, many heads would fall, and indeed heads fell on Saturday.
“The unfortunate thing is that many innocent people that knew nothing about his activities were among the dead. My own cousin was even among the dead”.
Following the incident on Saturday, the Anambra State Police command deployed various tactical units to Ebenebe to secure the people.
There are no confirmed arrests yet as a result of the incident.
