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By Madu Obi
Survivors of Sunday's suspected rival cult attack that left 12 people dead at Nibo, Awka South local government area of Anambra State, have narrated their experiences, saying it was was only by God's grace that they are still alive.
The security director of the community, who is also the commander of the community’s vigilante, simply called Wadada, lamented that the annual festival which every Nibo indegene always looks forward to, was turned to bloodshed by those he described as enemies of the people.
According to him, the attackers came into Nibo through Amawbia, while the community was holding its Ọnwa Asaa festival, which signifies its new yam festival.
He said: “The men came in two vehicles, a Lexus Jeep and Sienna vehicle, both without number. They came into Nibo through Amawbia, passing through all the police checkpoints and the nearby Governor’s Lodge and opened fire on our people in a shop. One of my vigilante men, Mr Uchenna Obiekwe, an only son, who is unmarried was killed.
Many people were injured, including the owner of the shop and his six -year old daughter, who sustained bullet wound on their legs. I cannot say for sure who the the killers are. I also cannot tell if they were cultists, unknown gunmen or just armed robbers, but time will tell.
It was God's intervention that probably made me leave the scene before the arrival of the gunmen."
Another survivor, who identified himself a staff of Anambra State Ministry of Information, and who gave his name as Ichie Oku said: “You people should help me thank God for sparing me. It is not because of my faithfulness, but God spared my life and said I will live again.
I was in a joint on Sunday, when those people arrived. One of them pointed a gun at me and the other member of the gang told him that I was not part of the people they were looking for, but he insisted and pulled the trigger
His colleague pushed him at that moment and the bullets hit the wall behind me and that was how I was saved.
Three people who were with me were killed instantly. After killing the the three people, they left, only to return and shot five other people before they left for Eke Nibo where they killed four more people, making it twelve. All these happened in less than five minutes,
If not for God, I would have been the 13th victim. It was indeed a black Sunday at Nibo. Our community was just celebrating new yam festival and some people chose the day to spill the blood of many young men.
I lost two family members and we are planning to bury them today, Monday."
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has visited the community to condole the families and the community over the unfortunate incident.
Speaking at Eke Nibo Market during his routine monitoring of Monday activities across the state, Governor Soludo vowed to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and continue the battle against cultism in the state.
The Nibo incident apparently made the Monday sit at home more effective as the city of Awka, which used to experience commercial activities and free movement of people, was virtually deserted.
Apart from one police checkpoint along the Awka-Onitsha expressway, all the usual checkpoints were deserted, just as all the filling stations and banks were closed.
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