Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

The remains of 11 persons massacred in Ogboji,  Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State were yesterday  laid to rest in their various communities in Ebonyi State.

The 11 persons: Ikechukwu Nwafor; Ebenezer Nwigbo; Uche Alegu; Monday Ofoke; Chidera Utobo; Akam Okechukwu; Sunday Offim; Sunday Ugada; Clement Ofoke; Chidera Nwogbala; and Sunday Nweke, who hailed from Izzi, Ikwo and Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, were massacred on  May, 30, 2025 by gunmen when they were having Ebonyi indigenes meeting in Ogboji, Anambra State.

Seventeen persons were said to have been shot by the gunmen during the attack with the 11 of them  killed while six sustained varying degrees of injuries and were treated in various hospitals.

Tears flowed like a river when the caskets of the deceased were lined up for state burial at the unity square, Abakaliki the state capital  yesterday. 

In his sermon, a Catholic Priest,  Rev Fr. Joseph Orji condemned the killings, described it as unprovoked and barbaric.

He said the state has never recorded such incident since its inception and declared that the perpetrators committed heinous crime for  which they must face judgment before God.

“He commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for given the deceased befitting burial and prayed God to repose their souls.

“Your Excellency, we thank you for bringing all of us to this unity square. The reasons why all of us are gathered here at the unity square, are symbolic.

“And one of them is a symbolic event that has taken place amongst us.

“It has never been in our history that peaceful group sitting together for their own wellbeing, struggling to make ends meet, and suddenly, somebody comes in to wipe out the generation of 11 people.

“ It is a historic sad event. An event could be joyful but this particular Ogboji is a sad event. We thank the authorities for immortalising their names by bringing them to centre, the unity square and giving them a state burial.

“It goes a long way to show the unity of the state and our state is so united that in grief, we are one, in joy, we are one”, he stated.

Governor Francis Nwifuru, who spoke in an emotion laden voice, expressed sadness over the persistent killings of Ebonyi people in Anambra State which he said got to its climax through the massacre of the 11 persons.

He lamented that none of the killers has been arrested till today.

“The way our people are being killed in Anambra State, is unacceptable and it must stop.

“The story they later brought, I looked at it as someone who has been passing through security issues and saw it as political and I was provoked by the story of the Orumba South Local Government Chairman who said it was Ebonyi people that killed Ebonyi people. This is without any proof.

“The preliminary investigation shows that those that massacred these our people were not speaking Ebonyi language but up till date no arrest has been made, none of them has been arrested,” he said.

The governor announced N10 million for the children of one of the deceased whose wife died after the massacre and N5million to the children of the other deceased families, totaling N60 million.

He urged the deceased families to use the funds and set up meaningful businesses that can carter for the children they left behind and advised them not to go back to Anambra State.

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