The death of two Unity College pupils following their abduction is rattling the Okposi communit in Ebonyi State, the government and security agencies, reports OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE
The two boys have been buried in their communities in Enugu State amid agony. Still, it seems most of their effect of the death has been happening elsewhere: Ebonyi State.
Tochukwu Eneh and his friend Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who were Junior Secondary School pupils of Federal Government College, Okposi, Ebonyi State, had just rounded off their exams and were preparing to return home the following day. They wanted to arrive at home looking good, so they went with other schoolmates to Okposi community for a haircut. But then, as the report goes, a band of attackers came after them, driving the boys in different directions. Tochukwu and Chukwu-emeka were caught by the assailants and taken away. Several days later, their decomposed bodies were found on a river in the community.
Since then, the community has not been the same. Nor has Governor David Umahi been at peace. The security agencies have been equally roused up.
Federal Government College Okposi is one of the first generation unity schools. Established in 1965, it operated for about two years before the civil war started in 1967, hence the students could not continue their education in the college and had to be settled in two other institutions, FGC Warri and FGC Sokoto.
Between 1967 and 1995, the college premises were used for different purposes. They served as base for the Biafran army, Nigerian army, a temporary site for a federal polytechnic, a government secondary school and later a federal technical college. With the creation of Ebonyi State, FGC Okposi was re-established in 1995.
FGC Okposi is a coeducational institution with about 1,500 students on roll. The college aims to provide qualitative education for the young Nigerians some of who have achieved greater heights in their fields of endeavor.
The school has been leaving in harmony with the host community since inception but all that seems to have changed with the killing of Tochukwu and Chukwuemeka.
The students, Tochukwu Eneh and Chukwuemeka Ugwu, had finished their exams and gone to the town in company of some of their classmates for a haircut preparatory to going home when they were abducted by unknown persons.
Tochukwu hailed from Obioma, Chukwuemeka from Nsude, both in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Family sources said both JSS students having finished their final examinations were looking forward to reuniting with their families on May 13.
On the eve of their planned departure, a group of schoolboys, including Tochukwu Eneh and Chukwuemeka Ugwu, decided to get their hair cut outside the school. They had done so, and were on their way back to the school when they were accosted by some suspected hoodlums who ordered them to stop.
Alarmed, the youngsters scampered away in different directions but, in the ensuing melee, Tochukwu and Chukwuemeka were forcefully grabbed by the hoodlums and carried off. It was gathered that all the other students, except these two, made it safely back to school.
However, the frightened boys did not raise the alarm at once, maybe out of fear for the consequences of breaching school regulations, so the incident did not become known to the authorities until Friday, May 13, when Tochukwu’s guardian did not see him as they had earlier scheduled.
The said guardian, a lady who is a staff of FGC, Okposi, had some items which she wanted Tochukwu to convey to his mum in Enugu. When she learnt what had happened, she notified the school authorities and the parents of the victims of the abduction about the incident.
Upon receipt of the complaint about the kids, the police command in the state swung into action to track down the hoodlums down and save the boys.
The state governor, Dave Umahi also weighed in, directing the security agencies to unravel the whereabouts of the children.
The CP Peace Ibekwe Abdallah in company of the military and Department of State Security (DSS) officials made several visits to the community.
The visit paid off on Sunday when the decomposing corpses of the boys were discovered on a river.
A statement by the Ebonyi State Police Command’s spokesman, ASP George Okafor said the bodies were discovered at a bamboo grove in Ata River in the community.
He said the command received the report on the disappearance of the students on reported May 14.
“The CP led other senior police officials with the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) team for an on-the-spot assessment and rescue of the students.
The statement noted that in the course of interaction with the community’ leaders, youths and other stakeholders, it was discovered that two bodies were in a bamboo grove in Ata River, about half a kilometer from the college premises.
“In response to the information, the command recovered the decomposing corpses of the two missing students whose parents were there to identify.
It noted that their corpses have been evacuated and deposited in a morgue awaiting autopsy, as the command is presently investigating the matter and pledged to unravel the mystery behind their deaths.
“The command is appealing to all citizens to assist in providing relevant and timely information that would nip all forms of criminality in the bud,” it said.
The statement assured citizens of the state of adequate protection of their lives and properties at all times.
But Mr Bartholomew Eneh, father of Tochukwu, accused youths of the community of being responsible for the killing of his son and his classmate Chukwuemeka Ugwu.
Mr Eneh spoke to reporters in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
Mr Eneh said he called the school when his son failed to return on the day he was supposed to return after his exams and that was when the guardian told him that they were looking for him.
He said, “Since then I have been to Okposi twice and to Abakaliki twice.
“I am happy that the governor Dave Umahi gave the CP an order to properly investigate the matter. And since then she has been up and doing. Yesterday (Sunday) she was there with a team of security men from Police, Army and DSS. In fact the whole town was on fire when we came in. While we were holding meetings the CP got information that the bodies were in the river and we went there and their bodies were recovered.”
He said initial reports from medical doctors in the team revealed that the bodies were dumped in the river the same day they were abducted and accused the community youths of being responsible because the new principal refused to settle them.
“The old principal was the one who struck the deal with the villagers and some workers in the school were also benefiting as they used the opportunity to siphon money from the school authorities. But the new principal refused to be giving them money and these workers went and created the impression that the school was fighting the community. The group then threatened to punish the school in return. I believe the two boys were a victim of the problem and were just caught in the crossfire of the crisis between the community and the school.”
He called for justice to be served.
The chairman of the local government, Justice Ogbonna debunked the accusation levelled against the community.
According to him, the school since inception has been at peace with the community and the community will not now start having problems with the school.
A group known as Okposi E-8, expressed its profound shock at the death of the students. The group made up of indigenous people of Okosi based in Abuja, urged in a statement signed by its chairman Emenike Joseph Okorie and secretary Ugochukwu Ezekiel, security agents to properly investigate the incident.
Some staff of the school have been arrested including the Principal for interrogation.
A source in the community said, “I suspect that one of the cult groups may have attempted to forcefully initiate the children into their group. You know they are initiating secondary school children into these cults these days. In some places even primary school children are also initiated.”
The two pupils were buried on Tuesday amidst tears and wailing by the community. Mourners called for justice. The bodies were first taken to the school after autopsy was carried out them by the police.
At the school the teachers and students were seen wailing and rolling on the ground. They described the late students as very disciplined and cheerful students and wondered why anybody would want to harm them.
