Azia Church Killing: Protest Rocks Community

By IFEOMA EJIOFOR
The people of Umuehiam community in Abam, Azia, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State on Friday took to the street to protest against the gruesome murder of their son, Mr Kenneth Ekwesianya, his wife and thirty two year old daughter.

One hundred year old Pa Boniface Onyejekwe who obviously is the oldest man in the community blessed the demonstrators before they set out and urged them to be peaceful.

He said that he has never seen the kind of sacrilegious killing on a church altar in his entire life even as he declared that the perpetrators will not go unpunished.

The demonstration started from Umuehiam community hall, Abam Azia through the town center where other youths of Azia town joined up to Divisional Police Station, Azia.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO)in charge of Azia while addressing the demonstrators commeneded them for their peaceful disposition.

He said that the ugly incident that happened in Azia church was a concern to everyone in the community.

The DPO told them of the efforts being made to bring the perpetrators to justice even as he declared emphatically that he could not say so much on the matter as all enquiry about the killing should be directed to Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Anambra State Police Command, Mr Haruna Mohammed (CSP) in Awka

He however warned the demonstrators not to take law into their hands.

The demonstrators also stormed the Secretariat of Azia General Assembly (AGA) where they were addressed by the Secretary General of AGA, Onyebuagu Jude.

Jude said that the killing on the church altar in Azia is a source of concern and worry to everyone in the community.

He stated that the Vigilante group of the community has been working with the conventional security agencies to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.

The Secretary General of AGA also detailed some members of the Vigilante group to accompany the demonstrators during the protest which according to him is a demonstration of the fact that the entire community is mourning with the Ekwesianya family.

At Ihiala Local Government Area Secretariat, the Transition Commitee (TC) chairman, Sir Jude Obiwulu who went spiritual said that the perpetrators of the dastard act will never have peace until they are apprehended.

Sir Obiwulu said that the Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano is passionately committed to security of all the people of the state and that no stone would be left unturned until justice is gotten for the slained trio.

“By the grace of God, wherever the people who did this evil in our local government area are hiding, they will never have peace. The blood of the people they murdered on the church altar will continue to hunt and taunt them until they confessed their sins, the long hands of law must catch up with them.

“The government of Anambra State identify with the family of Ekwesianya in particular and the entire Azia people at their period of pain.” He said.

The chairman of Umuehiam community, Mr Ebuka Chukwulobe in company of his members of the executive council of the community and other sons and daughters of Umuehiam while speaking with journalists after the demonstration said that the assassinated Ekwesianya, his wife and daughter never embezzled any community money and that the note left behind by their assailants is not only diversionary but also misleading.

“He was a school principal who served his fatherland meritoriously for thirty five years, the wife too until she met her untimely death was a school teacher, their daughter who was killed along with her parents just finished her NYSC program and has started pursuing her post graduate studies. They are well known in the community and have never at any time being fraudulent.

“This sacrilege committed against three of them in a swoop of madness must not go unpunished. We know that no amount of crying or anything can bring them back to life but we demand justice for them.” He said.