Following the suspected murder of staff member Ebuka Nwaneri, youngsters from the Umulogho village in Imo State’s Obowo Local Government Area set fire to a piece of a hotel structure. The incident arose following accusations that Nwaneri stole a military personnel’s phone over the weekend. The hotel owner, Ibe Obasi, and the owner of the missing phone, military personnel who visited the hotel for relaxation, allegedly accused the staff of stealing the phone.
According to a source, the victim died as a result of the alleged torture, and the suspects disposed of his body by tossing it over the hotel’s fence into the adjoining bush. However, on Saturday morning, adolescents from the community discovered the corpse, forced their way into the hotel and set fire to a section of the building. They further stated that if the hotelier was not held accountable for the incident, they would revenge against his family members.
Another community source, Chimezie Mbakwe, confirmed the incidence and urged the police to transfer the case from the Otoko Divisional Police Station, where the suspect is detained, to the headquarters to avoid mob violence. Addressing the community’s youths, Youth President Chinagorom Cyriacus emphasised the necessity of maintaining calm and told them that all those guilty would be brought to justice.
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Cyriacus said: “We also want to assure the good people of Umulogho that the perpetrators of this inhuman act must be brought to book at all means.
“We also want to urge all more importantly the youths to stay calm and not to take further action or take laws into their hands.
“We want to assure the people that the leadership of Umulogho Autonomous Community at all levels are working so hard to arrest the situation more especially the ongoing massive arrest by the military.”
According to a reputable police informant, the Imo Police Command is in command of the worsening situation in the volatile town. The Army Public Relations Officer, Joseph Akubo, stated that an inquiry is being conducted to ascertain whether any soldiers were engaged in the event. He emphasised that any soldier displaying symptoms of indiscipline would not be protected and would face repercussions if proven guilty, repeating that the army has no participation in the subject and that those found culpable will be held accountable.
