[caption id="attachment_77988" align="alignright" width="640"] St. Philips Catholic Church, Amakwa Ozubulu 2[/caption] [caption id="attachment_77989" align="alignright" width="600"] Aloysius Ikegwuonu[/caption] It was the Operation Python Dance mounted by the Nigerian military against Biafran agitators that tends to push this episode to the back burner. This does not make it less worth of attention by the authorities that should clean the society of crimes and bring culprits to book. This is the purpose of this story: to unravel the recent deaths and rid Ozubulu (notorious for past high wire vendetta) of more By Richard Elesho It was a church service like no other. No praise and worship. No programs and hymnal-clutching ushers or deacons to welcome people with their trademark smiles by the doors. In their stead were, stern looking and arms bearing security operatives, reminiscent of Nigerian soldiers on the fringe of Sambisa Forest awaiting unpredictable advances from Boko Haram insurgents. They mounted every door of the church. In fact, all around the worship Centre and the roads leading therein, scores of eagle eyed operatives were on red alert. [caption id="attachment_36831" align="alignright" width="400"] Willie Obiano: Anambra State governor [/caption] [caption id="attachment_77991" align="alignright" width="640"] ?Inside the church[/caption] Graveyard silence reigned in the neighborhood. It did not look like parishioners will turn up for this symbolic service. But, with about 20 persons, including Secretary to Anambra State Government, SSG, Prof. Solochukwu Onogwe present, the officiating ministers led by Most Rev.Hillary Odili Okeke, Catholic Bishop of Nnewi solemnly began the Solidarity Service. Perhaps, reassured of their safety by heavy security attachment, mournful parishioners slowly but steadily came to participate in the initiative, with many of them fighting back tears during the brief church service. That was on a recent Sunday at St. Philips Catholic Church, Amakwa Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government of Anambra State. Things could hardly have been different. On Sunday, 6th August, in the same church, a gory spectacle plagued the eyes of all that beheld it and tinged every ear that heard of it. It was an incident that 'mocked' the image of Jesus, livid with anger overturning the tables of money changers and chasing out defilers from his fathers house, the temple in Jerusalem. He warned "is it not said that my house shall be a house of prayers, but thou have turned it to a den of robbers?" That Sunday, about 5:45am, just as the priest in charge, Rev. Fr. Jude Onwuaso was giving the closing remarks, a gunman stood at the door and indiscriminately sprayed bullets on the congregation. Even to someone who may have been a home video freak, watching such a live horror scene was far from being entertaining. Instinctively, those who could, among the parishioners, hampered to safety. Obinna Nwaogu, 27, narrating his experience to TheNews said it was difficult to explain how it happened. Pointing at a direction he recalled, "I was praying up there when I first heard sound. Before you know what another sound. Then I opened my eye and saw somebody holding gun and shooting. There was commotion. ...As in, I did not know how I escaped. I cannot explain. It is the mercy of God that preserved me, that I did not die that day." [caption id="attachment_77992" align="alignright" width="640"] MOST REV. HILLARY OKEKE AND OTHER MINISTERS[/caption] Fr. Jude shared in his belief in the preservation of God. Genuflecting and in an obvious attempt to fight back the trauma and tears, he said he was standing on the 'pulpit here' when as if from dreamland the gunman opened fire randomly at his members. He watched helplessly as the gunman abridged the life of many right in the house of God, with a bold statute of the suffering Christ on the Cross of Calvary firmly embossed on the wall and looking at the massacre. Instinctively and unable to explain the reflex, the clergyman bolted for the door to escape. Needless to say, many of the parishioners followed his example. By the time a semblance of normalcy returned, 13 members, mostly women and children had been killed on the spot, about 22 others (3 of which also eventually died, bringing number of the dead to 16) received different degrees of injuries. Among the dead was Pa. Cyprian Ikeogwuonu who, on sensing danger, also made for the door. The gunman's bullet caught up with him, he staggered, crashed on the floor and breathed his last. His wife , Caroline was luckier, as she escaped with bullet wounds. It was an eerie scene. The blood which flowed on the floor of the church was such that will make Dracula- that fictional vampire in a gothic horror film, green with envy. "Except I am not a messenger of God... They cannot go free," said Fr. Jude. His enthusiasm is yet to be fulfilled. As at the time of filling in this report, the church, the entire Ozubulu community and the Nigeria Police Force were still on the trail of the perpetrators of the heinous malady. Then began the conjecture of different hypothesis. Quickly, words circulated that Boko Haram insurgents were responsible for the shootings, as a bold attempt at spreading their fundamentalism to the South. Another school of thought said Fulani herdsmen, bent on executing a benign hate agenda fired the Ozubulu shots. The latter carried the imprimatur of Nnamidi Kanu, self styled leader of the Igbo self determination group, Independent People of Biafra. IPOB. In his haste to explain the massacre within the prism of ethnic chauvinism, the IPOB leader said it was carried out by Arewa youths, who incidentally had given a quit notice to Igbo to vacate the northern region of the country. A remix of the Kanu narrative added spices by claiming that those who carried out the attack were dressed in Nigerian Army fatigue uniform and spoke Hausa language all through! For a while, fear walked the entire region on four legs, like a dinosaur. Dr. Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra under whose territory the pogrom occurred, shelved his re-election activities and promptly visited the spot. Then came the change of beats. Obiano, who is chief security officer of the State during inspections to the church and Nnamidi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, Nnewi where the wounded were recuperating, disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed the killing was the direct result of a fight between two indigenes of Ozubulu living in another country. [caption id="attachment_77993" align="alignright" width="360"] PROF. SOLOCHUKWU SSG ANAMBRA STATE[/caption] "What happened in Ozubulu was neither a terror attack nor a violent action by some agitators. We are dealing with a dangerous gang war that has spilled over to Anambra from another African country. It is tragic that this two people had to bring their quarrel abroad to the village and to the church where innocent people had to be killed and injured. It was so bad that the gunmen went round the church to ascertain that the car belonging to the person they were after was there before they entered the church and started shooting, not knowing that it was his parents that came in the car. I don't want churches in this state to become apprehensive because of this incident because it is an isolated case." He vowed to fetch out the perpetrators and promised to foot the medical bills of the wounded. The governor's revelation has been the most appealing to rational minds. Police authority in the state echoed his chorus. Mr. Garba Umar, Commissioner of Police in the state disclosed that early findings showed that the crime was a spill over of a fight between two natives of Ozubulu. "From our findings, it is very clear that the person who carried out the attack must be an indigene of the area." He said the attacker was speaking undiluted Igbo language at the time he was shooting his victims. With the revelations from the Governor and the police, tongues have gone wagging over nature of the conflict that allegedly spilled to the house of God. Two schools of thought namely 'drug war' and 'leadership tussle,' were discernible in the debate. In the community, fear was palpable when TheNEWS visited and the few people that volunteered information, did so only in hushed tunes. But irrespective of the school of thought and no matter who the tale bearer was, one name, Alloysious Ikegwuonu, aka Bishop remained a constant in all the accounts. Here are the sketchy details. Bishop is a South African based businessman and notable philanthropist. The 37-year-old is an indigene of Ozubulu and son of Pa. Ikegwuonu one of the victims in the early morning cathedral massacre. Born in 1981, Alloyee, at birth did not have a golden spoon in his mouth. He was in fact, born and raised in poverty. As a young boy, he often assisted his mother in her petty trading at Orie Akpu market, off Ugwu road, Amakwa-Ozubulu. Alloysious attended Comprehensive Secondary School, Egbema-Ozubulu, (formerly School of Basic Studies), a school said to have been established by a United States based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Nwabaju Izuchi. Alloyee's performance was generally above average and he was popular in school. Little wonder, he emerged senior prefect among his peers in 1999. Not long after his secondary school final examination in May/June, 2000, his search for greener pastures propelled him to travel to South Africa in the year 2001. Within a very short time, he hit it big in that country. When he returned home after sojourning for about a year abroad, he was the cynosure of all eyes as the 'being to' flaunted his sudden wealth unhindered. The nature of his business is shrouded in controversy. While some paint him as a drug baron, others insist his businesses are legitimate. But, legitimacy or the lack thereof, Bishop's enormous financial muscle is beyond questioning. So much is his wealth that he is said to have tarred many roads in Ozubulu and in 2013, he single handedly built and donated the St Philips church, Amakwa to the Catholic community in Nnewi. He dedicated the church to the memory of his late mother, madam Calista Ikeogwuonu and apparently to silence critics who have accused him of alleged complicity in her death. He also built or renovated other churches in the three major districts of the community. They are St. Francis Egbema, St. Aloysius Eziora and St. Michael Amakwa. [caption id="attachment_77994" align="alignright" width="640"] New buildings in Ozubulu[/caption] Further, Bishop has constructed four major bridges, picked medical bills at random and instituted a well structured social welfare package for the elderly. He has in short, inaugurated many philanthropic initiatives and been the cord through which scores of his Ozubulu kinsmen and friends travelled to Zulu land. Those who hold him accountable for the church shootings said he had been at the centre of many deadly drug deals that went awry between him and some business associates. They therefore see the latest killing outing as more of a reprisal attack. One of such rifts was said to have erupted between him and an old friend and classmate Ginika Nwoke aka Giniyee, around 2013. Findings revealed that Aloyee and Giniyee (as the duo were known then) were best of friends from their secondary school days at CSS. After becoming successful, Aloysious encouraged his old classmate to follow him to South Africa. There was however a snag. Ginika was already pursuing further learning. He was then a 200 level Psychology student at Nnamidi Azikiwe University, Awka. Among his friends in the school was another CSS old boy and roommate, one Nonso Ewulu, alias Ajagara Igwe, then a Political Science student. Gimika eventually abandoned his studies to honour the invitation. Although Gimika was raised in Ozubulu, his roots were in Mbaise, Imo State. Gimika was an orphan and an only child. He was brought up by his uncle Ite Ego, who was then a butcher in the same Orie Akpu market where Alloys was helping his mother in her petty trading. [caption id="attachment_77990" align="alignright" width="640"] St. Philips Catholic Church, Amakwa Ozubulu[/caption] A source familiar with the story told this magazine that while in South Africa their friendship blossomed to a smooth business relationship. About 10 years neck deep in the business world, their friendship went for the rocks over a trade disagreement. The source claimed that Alloys handed a product to Ginika for delivery somewhere. Unfortunately, the goods got lost in transit. While Alloy accused his friend of foul play and demanded full payment for the product, Ginika was said to have suspected a set up. The stage was set for a lethal animosity. All efforts to reconcile the gladiators failed. It was said that the traditional ruler of Ozubulu land, Igwe even invited the two friends, with their families and mediated unsuccessfully in the matter. The royal father was reported to have pleaded for all to exercise patience till the truth be revealed. The source claimed however, that Bishop rejected Igwe's verdict and swore that "isi ga ada" (meaning that 'head must fall') within some months, if his money is not remitted back to him. Few months later, the bad news broke out. In September 2015, Ginika Nwoke was shot on a street in South Africa and he died there. At the time of his death, he was married and had a little daughter. This did not go down well with Mbaise people who were said to have vowed a revenge. A source hinted that Mbaise people have made a demand of $300 million from Bishop, as a condition for peace. [caption id="attachment_77995" align="alignright" width="600"] ONE OF THE ROADS CONSTRUCTED BY ALOYSIUS[/caption] There are other conflicts reported between Bishop and some business associates, though. AFP in a recent study narrated an account of feud between Bishop and one of his kinsmen, a man called Obreche in South Africa. The testimony claimed that Obreche was like a father to Ikegwuonu and he "helped him with his commercial activities in Johannesburg." Those in the know claimed that Bishop grew fast and later feared competition from his former benefactor and his associates. They claimed that he promptly turned on the man and a war had been brewing between them since 2013. Another well known story in Ozubulu is an alleged conflict between Bishop and his friend Chinedu Akpononu also based in South Africa. A source claimed that Bishop was buying goods from Chinedu through some of his boys. "He stopped buying and the relationship turned to hostility," said a source. Such is the amorphous character of the conflict that someone described it as amoebic and that 'so we cannot say this is where this is coming from.' The traditional ruler of Ozubulu, Igwe Fidelis Nnamidi Ofuche, admitted that he once mediated in a dispute between Bishop who he described as 'a very good person' and some South African based Ozubulu indigenes. He was however quick to add that the dispute they brought to his palace, was communal in nature and never drug business related. "The meeting was a heated one. But, it wasn't anything except a disagreement between brothers over who occupies the leadership position of Ozubulu Development Union, ODU, in South Africa." The Igwe said the matter was referred to him from the President General of ODU, Chief Nobert Anigbogu, who had tried in vain to reconcile the diasporas. "I don't know of any drug deal as being reported. But I know that about three years ago, ODU in South Africa was having serious leadership tussle. Our children who are living there were having a disagreement over who becomes chairman of the Union. So when they couldn't resolve the issue among themselves, all of them numbering hundreds returned to the country from South Africa," explained Igwe Ofuche, whose palace was renovated by Bishop. [caption id="attachment_77996" align="alignright" width="360"] SCHOOL ATTENDED BY ALOYSIUS[/caption] TheNEWS gathered that as a way of sealing the settlement, it was proposed that the parties should visit a shrine to swear to an oath of a peace covenant. But, some of them disagreed arguing that it was against their Christian faith. "After ensuring peace, we invited the Bishop of the Catholic Church Diocese and a Reverend Father who came and prayed for us. The Blessed Sacrament was used as a covenant oath for everybody. The crowd was over two thousand people. We admonished them to be peaceful and live in harmony," the Igwe recalled. Going by consequent events, the peace meeting could not have been more than a charade while the admonition most likely fell on deaf ears. When TheNEWS attempted to speak with Anigbogu in Ozubulu, he was said not to be around. A source told the magazine that the President General had since been in hiding somewhere in Enugu as a price "as been placed on his head by one of the barons." To the people of Ozubulu, the cathedral murder was one incident too many. Indeed, the community has seen many unresolved murder cases. One of such happened about a decade ago. In 2007, four young men who were members of a vigilante group were gruesomely murdered by yet to be identified Gunmen. A wine tapper who watched the gory scene high above, from his palm tree, revealed details of the assault. According to his account, the attackers wore camouflages, blindfolded the victims and dragged them into the bush, where they were killed. That was not all. "Their body parts were not complete as we buried them. Their tongues, eyes and even private parts were taken away," the Igwe recalled. To Augustine Ugochukwu a cousin of Bishop, those staining the reputation of his brother with the tar of drug baron are like giving dog a bad name in order to make it fit for the slaughter slab. Although Ugochukwu was not certain the nature of his cousin's business he vehemently denied his association with the criminal underworld. "Bishop is a successful businessman in South Africa. What my brother does is that he picks people who are stranded in South Africa and in this town too, train them in business and he has always settled them." Bishop himself also denied the tag of a drug baron insisting that his businesses are legitimate and that those linking him to the church killings are only jealous of his success. "My attention has been drawn to a social media campaign where it is alleged that I am connected to the Ozubulu church killing over a drug problem," he said in a statement. "For the avoidance of any doubt I wish to inform the general public that I know nothing about the church killings and i have never been involved in drugs.I have never been arrested or convicted anywhere in the world. My businesses are legitimate buinesses, duly registered. Apart from warehousing and wholesale of goods I am also a contractor involved in the construction of roads and infrastructure in Nigeria." He advised the media against hasty reports and threatened to take legal actions in order to clear his name. [caption id="attachment_77998" align="alignright" width="640"] ONE OF THE PROTESTERS[/caption] One major take away from Ozubulu to any newcomer is the array of palatial mansions that dot the landscape. By every sense of modesty, Ozubulu has one of the largest concentrations of beautiful houses with their captivating awe designs. But, sadly even though the obscene opulence of some of these palaces would have salivated the taste-bud of the late despot of Zaire, Mobutu Tsese Tseko, they were in the main desolate. Not a few of their illustrious owners had been gunned down in South Africa. They include the owner of Vacarmata (located around Michael Junction, Egbema Ozubulu) Mr Obinna Ebuzeme, Mrs Nchedo (Nkwado's wife) and many others, especially the alumni of C.S.S. have been killed. With the church killings, those conversant with the records say not less than forty people have been killed in mysterious circumstances. Monday following the condolence service, youths in Ozubulu organized a non-violent protest against the spate of criminality in their land. The youths under the umbrella of Ozubulu Youths Association, OYA, in their hundreds matched through the community from the Ozubulu motor garage opposite the secretariat down to the palace. They carried placards with inscriptions like "Ozubulu youths say no to killings"; "Police, restore peace in Ozubulu"; "We reject violence" They were escorted by a detachment of policemen rom the Ozubulu police station. President of OYA, Emeka Anakwe said "the youths are concerned about the attack because the entire people of Ozubulu are now living in fear. We cannot sleep comfortably any more because of fear of recurrence." A commercial motorcyclist, Joel Ibemere, lamented about the high rate of assassinations in the community. "One thing that spoils this place is the way our people are being killed. Even the owner of this one self (pointing at an edifice) don die. I think they killed him there (South Africa) this year." He said mournfully. The police said they have made arrests but since they are conducting their investigations discreetly, they will not horridly let out information on the progress being made, so as not to jeopardize investigations. How quickly will they unravel the various killings? The world is waiting.