It was quite calamitous on Tuesday , as Ogboko community was
thrown into total confusion as many houses , village hall and shops were burnt,
with one person confirmed dead, no fewer than 19 persons arrested, as serious
violence overwhelmed the Imo State Governor’s country home.
Sources gathered that the incident started when a young man
from Umumaisiaku went to a shop in Ogboko to request for money being owed to
him, as a way to extort money from the owner of the shop. This resulted in few
exchange of words between the victim and the owner of the shop which after some
verifications, they started calling him a thief after maybe ascertaining that
no money was actually owed. This angered the youths and many who were
witnessing the incident. Meanwhile, the story making rounds the area was that
youths apprehended this suspected criminal, and beat him, but he died as a
result of the massive beating he received from a mob who hit him with a bottle.
Another source also said that the man became a victim of the
mob action because he is always synonymous with asking for a change after
buying from people’s shops, but on this day, the owner of the shop actually
owed him.
A villager, who claimed to be a witness of the incident but
pleaded anonymity, said that “trouble started soon after somebody identified the
victim of the mob action as a member of the same family and from the same
village Umumaisiaku, who immediately alerted her kinsmen on such a malicious
incident.
The murder of the young man in the area sparked off the
reprisal attack. The incident angered
the youths, men, relations of the victim who angrily invaded Ogboko community
around 8pm in the night, fiercely burnt the shop in question and many other
shops around, burnt the house of the mob who led the victim to his untimely
death, and few other houses. That notwithstanding they marched towards
Umuezeala village hall, a town in Ogboko, and put it in flames. A source said
that only the roof of the town hall was affected by the fire and the police has
arrested 19 suspects in connection with the incident” and has restored normalcy
in the area. Another unknown source from Umumaisiaku affirmed that the
community responded in such a harsh manner not just of the said incident but
because it was not the first time a man from Ogboko is killing someone from
Umumaisiaku. Another source from Ogboko lamented at the rate at which the
youths from Umumaisiaku retaliated.
The victim known as Chidiebere hails from Umumaisiaku, and
died immediately after an angry mob hit him at Ogboko.
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