Anambra State government has declared Mr Ifechukwu Nweke, who killed a 71-year-old man, Mr Shedrack Okoye on 25th of December, 2023 during masquerading at Umuawulu community in Awka South Local Government Area wanted.
The State Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, comrade Don Onyenji stated this while reacting to the incident in his office at the Jerome Udorji Secretariat, Awka, on Tuesday.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that last week, the social media was flooded with the story of the late Mr Okoye of Okpala-Nduka kindred of Enugu quarters Umuawulu, killed by Mr Okeke, a 19-year-old man from Unuenu quarters, Umuawulu during masquerading.
The family of the deceased who is demanding for justice as they claimed that the Umuawulu community is not doing anything serious to get the culprit to face the law.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner, said that the act is against the state’s law on masquerading enacted in 2022 which specified that communities using masquerades as a form of entertainment, during festivals or festivities should have an arena where people seeking such fun should go and enjoy themselves.
According to him, the state’s law stipulates that on no account should a masquerade or masquerades obstruct people’s movement or block a community’s road or cause any problem in a community as he said that masquerading as a culture is all about fun and entertainment.
He said that it is against the law for the particular masquerade to stop people going on their way, talk less of killing someone.
The Commissioner made it clear that it is a murder case which must be tackled with every seriousness it deserves, noting that the culprit must face the law no matter how long it takes.
While sympathizing with the deceased’s family, Onyenji urged them not to take laws into their hands but cooperate with the community through the traditional ruler whom he said has been making plans to give the dead a befitting burial.
Speaking Earlier, the Traditional Ruler of Umuawulu, Igwe Joel Egwuonwu explained that he was shocked when he learnt of the incident and subsequently, banned masquerading in Umuawulu indefinitely.
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Igwe Egwuonwu said that he also constituted a committee that will broker peace between the two families and plan a befitting burial for the deceased and that so far , they have been able to reach a compromise on the amount of money that would be paid by the culprit’s family, as according to him both the bereaved and the culprit are not financially buoyant to foot the bill, adding that some concerned indigens of the community are trying to complete the amount approved by the committee for the burial ceremony.
In their separate reactions, the Chief Vigilante Officer of Umuawulu, Chief Ben Okafor and the Chairman Enugu Quarters Assembly Umuawulu, Prince Nnaemeka Oranyelu narrated how they reported the matter at Central Police Station Awka as was ordered by Igwe Egwuonwu, and how they asked the deceased’s family to bring the burial list which they said contained the amount the family demanded as nine million naira, while the culprit ‘s family agreed to bring two million naira, until the committee members arrived at three million naira for the burial.
They said that they are making frantic efforts to ensure that the deceased is buried as he will not be abandoned at the morgue because the culprit is at large.
The first son of the deceased Mr Chukwudubem Okoye said that all he wanted was justice for his father, that they appreciate the efforts of the community which he said was not known to them before except the fact that they would go ahead to collect the two million naira from the culprit’s family.
Mr Okoye said that they would accept the support of Umuawulu community through the committee, but would not accept the two million naira the culprit’s family said they would bring as according to him, the money cannot pay for all the expenses they would have to incur in the cause of and after the burial.
The late Mr Okoye was a dolmer before he met his untimely death.
