Sad: Man butchered to death four days after burying mother

A middle aged man, Oforma Itodo, has been allegedly hacked to death in Aji Community, Igbo- Eze North Local Government Area, Enugu State, barely four days after burying his mother.


It was gathered that the deceased just returned to bury his mother only to be attacked by unknown assailants, allegedly numbering over 50, armed with matchets, axes and guns. A family source to the deceased who pleaded anonymity told newsmen that the assailants invaded their compound in their numbers in the early hours of March 3, 2014, accosted Oforma with matchets, axes and guns, and refused to hear from any of the family members who pleaded to know what was the problem.

“The assailants made straight to Oforma who was caring his little baby, forced the baby out of his hands and started butchering him with matchets at every part of his body before dragging him out of the compound to an unknown place where they finally finished him, abandoned him and fled. We are yet to know what may have caused the attack and killing barely four days after our mother was buried,” he lamented.

The source further disclosed that the assailants did not cover their identities as they know a good number of them, alleging that one James who was popularly known in the community as Otiyo allegedly was the first person to matchet him. He also alleged that among the assailants were a herbalist, a hunchback and others whose surnames could not be ascertained as at press time.

The source wondered why the assailants who were operating as members of a neighborhood watch in the community did not take him to Enugu Ezike Police Station for interrogation if he had committed any crime than the jungle justice meted on him.

The deceased, Oforma, popularly known in the community as “One Kaine man” was said to have been out of the community for quite sometime, evading the so called neighborhood watch, allegedly being run by a top government official in Enugu who hailed from the community because he refused to join them.

It was also gathered that the killing of Oforma was to permanent cover up implicating statements of some armed robbers recently arrested in the community with dangerous weapons. The suspects had allegedly mentioned names of some prominent persons in the community as their sponsors.

Family sources revealed that the deceased had earlier petitioned the Inspector- General of Police over threats to his life which was forwarded to Enugu State Police Command for investigations.

The matter, according to the source, took a different dimension later after it got to an Enugu High Court where surprisingly, the petitioner was allegedly charged as an accused person instead of the complainant. The High Court Judge on seeing that the matter was upturned against the complainant, discharged him and since then, his assailants have been after him. They killed him four days after he buried his mother.

A competent source in the community disclosed that the killer group were not genuine members of the neighborhood watch in the community but were allegedly working for the top Government Official who was said to have paid a whopping sum of N300,000.00 to the leader of the killer-group who allegedly directed his boys to carry out the barbaric and gruesome murder of Oforma. Investigation also revealed that the leader of the gang hired some men from outside the community while a good number of them were natives of Aji Community. They invaded Oforma’s house around 5.30am on that fateful day.

Contacted for comments, Enugu State Police Public Relations Office, PPRO, Ebere Amarizu( DSP) said that the deceased was mentioned by three armed robbery suspects already reminded in prison custody as one of their members who escaped when they were arrested, explaining that angry mob attacked him as he returned. It was also said that the mob gave him severe beating leaving him half dead while he died before police could come to rescue the situation in the community.