How Police Escalated Cult War In Umunya, Anambra

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

The traditional ruler of Umunya community in Oyi local government area of Anambra state His Royal Highness Igwe Kris Onyekwuluje has declared that there would be no more cult war in his domain as long as he remains the Chief Security Officer of the community.

Igwe Onyekwuluje made the declaration in his palace at Umunya at the weekend while   addressing his subjects who embarked on a protest March to his palace againtst what they termed incessant macheting and attacks on indigenes by cultits from Ezi-Umunya.

He said his subjects had been hospitalized as a result of the terror and mayhem cult members unleashed on them, stressing that inasmuch as he would not take the laws into his hands, he would no longer tolerate the dehumanization and molestations meted out on his subjects by cultists in the area, whom he said were bent on selling off all the lands in Umunya community through illegitimate means.

The monarch said, “How can a man of over 30 years of age use his fingers to destroy the private  part of a small girl about 3 years of age and the police will set him free. But we thank God that the commissioner of police has sent us a new Divisional Police Officer so he can see things for himself.

“I want to believe God too that all those macheting people will stop henceforth and their godfathers too will quit sponsoring cult war in my community.”

Igwe Onyekwuluje alleged that  he could not fathom the reason behind the police granting freedom to persons who committed manslaughter as well as defiled a minor; that they should have been brought to justice rather than the police playing to the gallery.

Igwe Onyekwuluje explained that, “It is because of the system myself, the President-General and his executives have been managing such crisis that we have not recorded any death and we don’t pray to record any deaths. That is exactly the reason why we have been managing and pleading with my subjects to toe the line of peace.”

He said they have had several peace meetings with Ezi-Umunya community and that the management of crisis in the area had prevented deaths from occurring. He said that apart from the land verification committee that is already in existence, he would also constitute a land approval committee that would ensure that every plot of land sold in Umunya community received the blessings of the committee to avoid land grabbing and racketeering.

Igwe Onyekwuluje noted that the land approval committee would comprise igwe-in-council, President-General and his members, Ojiana and Nze-na-Ozo and that the committee takes effect immediately.

On the security squabble at Umunya community market, the traditional ruler stated that the community has provided local security in the market and that any other private security outfit in the market should vacate the market and man residential buildings.

He said no one has monopoly of violence but urged dissidents and their godfathers to embrace peace, noting that quick money syndrome plunged youths in Umunya community into illegal sale of lands and other nefarious activities.

One of the victims of the cult attacks in the area, Mr.Onyebuchi Okwundu of Ezi-Umunya village said that a cult group existed in Ezi-Umunya and when one resisted membership of the group, they attacked him with destructive weapons.

He said they attacked him because he refused to join the cult group and cut his body severely with machetes and other weapons, stressing that it was by the grace of God that he was still alive, narrating his ordeals in the hands of the cultists at Ezi-Umunya even as he revealed that the cult attacks had lasted for about ten years now .

On the story of the little girl that was defiled by one of the cultists, Okwundu said, “A small girl of about two years was sent on an errand at Odumodu by a man of over 30 years. Thereafter he took the little girl out of public glare and used his fingers to destroy her private part. Police arrested him but later we heard that police have released him.”

When contacted at about 3:17 pm on Sunday to obtain the response of the police concerning allegations of escalating cult crisis in Umunya community and the issue of the sexually abused little girl, the police public relations of the Anambra command of the Nigeria Police, SP Haruna Mohammed, did not take several phone calls put across to him and he also did not return the calls either.