?Govt condemns reports of political undertone

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State government has kicked against the trending reports on social media concerning the Monday killings in an alleged land scuffle between neighbouring communities of Enugwu Ukwu and Nawfia both in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

Recall that about three indigenes of Enugwu Ukwu community were killed with five others seriously injured at Isionye Land, boundary.

Reacting to the report that the fracas was politically motivated, the state Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu said that while the indigenes of both communities are already calling for urgent investigation to identify the perpetrators of the dastardly act, some fifth columnists and mischievous social media commentators are already ascribing it to politics of the impending local government elections.

He described the report as very far from the truth.

He said: ?Anambra State government has been drawn to a mischievous report being circulated in various social media platforms regarding the killing and injuring of some indigenes of Enugwu Ukwu on Monday on September 9, 2024.

?Government is therefore calling on all parties and families of the deceased to sheath their swords and avoid taking laws into their hands until Police investigations are completed.

?Government commiserates commiserated with the families of the deceased, and assured all parties that Government will remain neutral and work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of the act are brought to book.?

Meanwhile, a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, has said that Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam has ordered investigation into the murders.

According to him, Police preliminary investigation revealed that victims were lured to the scene by some individuals through a phone call in the guise of a land transaction and attacked them with guns and matches.

Ikenga noted that while Police operatives have recovered the abandoned Sienna vehicle used by the murderers, the testimonies of the injured victims who are currently receiving treatment in the hospital is aiding the investigation while the bodies of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.