SHEDDING OF IGBO BLOOD BY IGBO PEOPLE, ALARMINGLY JUST TOO MANY!

Just within the last two weeks, Igbo people of Imo State, Nigeria, have witnessed four murders of their own sons and daughter by their own hoodlums/hired killers. At this pace and if not checked, soon and very soon, all the prominent men and women of Igboland would be wiped out of existence by reason of these wanton and reckless murders.

Icheoku asks when would this needless shedding of innocent blood abate or has the insecurity in motherland degenerated so much that ordinary disputations are now settled by the killing of one of the parties instead of the age-long kindred-based conflict resolution? What happened to a civilized way of settling disputes and would the authorities wait until a race is completely wiped out before seriously addressing this anomaly.

The latest victim of this wanton killing is a retired Assistant Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Dr. Adol Nwachukwu, who was gunned down in his vehicle while returning from a social visit to his ancestral home in Ehime, Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. The bandits stopped his vehicle, walked up to him and casually shot him on the neck at close range before walking off leisurely into the night. As always, police blamed it on hoodlums and promised they are working on the case. Regrettably though, Icheoku is convinced that like all past political killings, that the investigation of the murder of Dr. Nwachukwu will soon assume room temperature and before too long, whatever investigative file or report that was opened in this case will start gathering dust in some storage unit of the police investigative department, abandoned.

Before this last killing and within the same two weeks period under advisement, some gunmen shot and killed a security guard, Mr. Ebo, a protest killing because his boss who is their main target eluded them. According to the narrative, the hired killers had come to kill the security guard's boss, Marcus Ebiziem, but he managed to escape their trap and feeling disgusted, they pumped several rounds of bullets into the guard killing him on the spot. Icheoku asks what is going on and when would the authorities arrest the spiraling out of control situation of insecurity in south east Nigeria Igboland. But does anyone really know the solution to this craziness or should the military come back to power as it is gradually looking as if the political class have failed the country.

The preceding week, a House of Representatives aspirant from Ideato North, the same Imo State Nigeria, Nze Sunny Ogbu, was brutally murdered near his hometown. According to the narrative, he had finished a campaign rally and was returning home when a somewhat supporters group stopped him to felicitate with him. But unbeknownst to him, they were a group of green snakes in green grass - hired killers waiting for an opportunity to earn their pay. Upon his alighting from his vehicle to acknowledge their greetings, some people from the crowd walked up and emptied a magazine into his bowel. The aspirant collapsed and died instantly with the gathered crowd scampering in all direction. To date, the police said they are working the case and Icheoku wonders when would the Nigerian police ever solve a homicidal case; yet the former Inspector General of Police Ogbonna Onovo was sacked allegedly because police under his command and control has failed to solve the insecurity in the country and you wonder if his replacement Ringim has done anything better to improve the situation and earn his new pay raise?

Following closely to this heinous murder is another callous murder of a female business executive and entrepreneur super-mart owner, Mrs. Amaka Onyeagwu who was killed in cold blood by some hired hoodlums. The story has it that the hired hands trailed the late Onyeagwu and shot her pointblank near her home in Owerri the same Imo State in a manner replete of a pay for a kill hired contract killing since nothing was removed from her. Icheoku is fed up with what is going on in Igboland and vehemently decries same as stupidity of those people hiring these bandits to do these killings. Whereas other nationalities are positioning themselves to assume leadership positions in the country, the ever restless Igbo people are busy killing one another in a blind pursuit of nothingness.

Icheoku condemns this madness of a people against their fellow people and wonder where the spirit of 'Onye-Igbo" or 'Nwa-afor" went to? Enough of this spillage of blood in Igboland of her people by her people on trivialities such as elective political offices or some other disputations. It is as shameful as it is abominable that brothers and sisters are killing one another in this manner; it is about time it stopped and Icheoku calls on the authorities in Nigeria both at Owerri and Abuja to put a stop at this madness now or forever be condemned as the people that let this madness spiral out of control. It is shameful indeed that the Igbos known for their love for one another are now killing one another in this barbaric manner. Enough is enough Igbo people of Imo State of Nigeria; Icheoku begs of you to stop killing one another!