A traditional title ceremony in Amakor village, Nanka Community, Orumba North local government area of Anambra State has turned tragic, with gunmen kidnapping eight persons and injuring twelve others.
An Ozo title holder, Emmanuel Ilo, who was there at the occasion, claimed his escape was due to divine intervention.
According to him, the police officers defending the site tried to oppose the attackers but were overwhelmed by the gunmen.
“While the event was reaching its climax, some armed men, some of whom covered their faces, stormed the venue. They were accompanied by some community members and immediately began the attack.
“Without any explanation or engagement with the organisers of the event, the men began to scatter things at the venue.
“They intimidated and brutalised many of the participants and organisers, kicking some of them in their manhood, while the armed men stood by, including some dressed in police uniforms.
“I managed to escape from the scene when the gunmen struck.”
He stated that during the assault, approximately eight persons, including the Amakor village chairman, Barr. Obinna Ilo, Emerie Ilo, Sam Eminike, and Chief Asina Okafor, were pushed into waiting Sienna vehicles and transported to an unknown destination.
He stated that some of the other participants were able to flee and have been hiding since.
Ilo stated that the location of the abducted individuals remains unclear because the abductors have made no official contact with their relatives and that the kidnapped victims’ phone numbers have been turned off since the event.
He claimed that the gunmen’s identities and motivations have remained unknown, causing concern for the families and the entire community.
Speaking on the attack, Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, stated that he was uninformed of the event and asked community members to report it to their nearest police station.
On the claim that some of the abductors wore police uniforms, the PPRO stated, “Police do not kidnap or abduct. If they were detained, the police would have contacted their family and allowed them to make calls.”
