Anambra Church Killing: Ozubulu Youth Protest Reopening Of Church

A week after the massacre of members of St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Amakwa Ozubulu, Anambra state by yet to be identified gunman, youths in the community staged a peaceful protest over the reopening of the church by the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi diocese, Most Rev Hilary Okeke.

The youths, under the aegis of Ozubulu Youths Association, OYA, accused both the police and the elders of the community of inability to bring the perpetrators to book.

The church, on Sunday, celebrated mass, with some government functionaries, journalists and other guests, including the man allegedly fingered to be the prime target, said to be in attendance.

The youths who marched round the villages in the community, with a stopover at the Police station and the palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Obi Fedelis Nnamdi Oruche before retiring to the motor park, warned that enough is enough on the attack of the innocent people of the community.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the protest, President of the association, Comrade Emeka Anakwe, wandered why a church where over 13 people were gruesomely killed, would be reopened for service in less than one week it was attacked.

“Why would the church be opened when investigation into the matter has not been concluded and when the community is still mourning their dead?

“These things are happening because the elders of this town have neglected the youths of the town for so long, and we will no longer accept such disposition from them as we are prepared to play active role in the issues that affect us and our people, we must take our destiny in our hands.

“This is worrisome and contrary to the earlier promise by the Nnewi Diocese that it will be closed temporarily for service until police finish their investigations,” he stated.

He described the act as unacceptable and the highest level disregard for the dead and wounded people of Ozubulu, as well as provocation to the families and relations of the victim.

“The youths of Ozubulu are concerned about the attack because the entire people of Ozoubulu are now living in fears, we cannot sleep comfortably anymore, and our people can no longer sleep with their eyes closed because of fear of reoccurrence.

“We have in the past seen a situation where a security man was caught with fresh human head and was arrested but when we did not see him being prosecuted, we started asking questions, but we were told that the matter is in the court. We are not happy that when incident like this happen it is swept under the carpet,” he added.