Hoodlums have burnt down the house of a 60-year-old widow, Mrs Monica Nweke, in Ebonyi State.
The widow, it was gathered, was asleep alongside her two daughters and two grandchildren when the arsonists set her building ablaze at about 1.30 am, on Tuesday.
A community source, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the assailants set the building on fire and waited till the inferno gutted all the valuables therein, before leaving the scene.
It was said the widow, her two daughters and grandchildren escaped death through the back door, as the inferno raged.
A human rights group in Ebonyi State, the Human Rights, Access and Defenders, in a statement, on Friday, signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chinasa Okereke, condemned the incident and called for justice for the widow.
The rights group said it had intelligence that no fewer than four suspects have been arrested in connection to the dastardly act.
The statement read in part, "The attention of the Human Rights, Access and Defenders (HURIDE), has been drawn to the inhuman act perpetrated by hired hoodlums against an innocent widow in Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State.
"This house (Photos attached) belongs to a 60-year-old widow from the Ogboji community in Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State. Hoodlums attacked the house, looted virtually everything and immediately set the building on fire and waited until it was completely burnt down before they left. The attackers are suspected to have been sponsored by some big politicians in Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State, who have been having issues with Activist Sampson Oko Nweke, the state chairman of the Human Rights, Access and Defenders (HURIDE) whose mother's house is so burnt.
"Information got to HURIDE that the uincidentence happened in the early hours of 30th April 2023 around 1 am. It was reported that our chairman's mother, her two daughters and two grandchildren were all sleeping inside the house when the hoodlums attacked and were shooting directly into the house. But God saved them from being burnt alive as they managed to escape through the backdoor.
"However, a confirmed report says that police have swung into action following a petition signed by the victim and fortunately, some of the perpetrators have been arrested while others at large are still being searched for. Those arrested so far are Monday Nweke Ote, Samuel Itumo Egbara and Adindu Nwigwe Oke and one other.
"Recall that on the 7th of February, 2023, the chairman of Ezza North LGA, Chief Ogodoali, controversially arrested the state HURIDE chairman, Activist Sampson Oko Nweke, levelled trumped-up charges against him and later saw through his arraignment in court. Afterwards, our chairman addressed the world on the circumstances surrounding his arrest and speedy prosecution. He did this using his verifiable Facebook handle on a post he made on 9th February 2023, paragraph two. Our chairman alleged that on that morning before he was arrested in Chief Ogodoali's Onwe Road Mansion, the man issued raw threats to him even before everyone in his compound that he will kill our chairman and demolish his compound in the village. Could this attack be a manifestation of such a threat?
"Moreso, in another Facebook post on February 13, 2023, our chairman raised a similar alarm that the same politician mentioned above sponsored one Ebubeagu officer from Oshiegbe community to raise a petition against him claiming that he (Oko Nweke), killed one Charley Adigbo, the late Ebubeagu Commander of Ogboji community, who was shot dead In his compound.
"In that very post, our chairman decried that he was also accused in the said petition that he was the one launching attacks on Ebubeagu operatives in Ezza North and snatching their motorcycles. But maybe because the information of this petition got to public knowledge and the press, that made them surreptitiously withdraw same and never proceeded with it because they knew it was a false allegation being masterminded against the popular activist.
"Similarly, it is in wide speculation that the big politicians in Ezza North recently did everything possible and still doing to link our state chairman, Activist Sampson Oko Nweke to the death of his brother, Peter Nweke, who was killed during the governorship election in Ogboji community. It is said that they used and still used political loyalists and appointees from the Ogboji community to suppress, intimidate and instigate untold hate and total conspiracy against activist Nweke in their village and the entire Ezza North. It is reported that they had conspiratorily concluded that Sampson Nweke killed his brother, Peter Nweke and therefore, he must be killed immediately without leaving any traces. But according to reliable information, our chairman's only saving grace was that he got a hint from a trusted source, of a grand conspiracy to eliminate him at all costs which made him flee the state to an unknown location to save his dear life first and since then, has never been heard of, till date."
Efforts to reach the Ebonyi State Police Command for comment, failed, on Friday.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Faleye Olaleye, directed our Correspondent to the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Onome, who in turn refused to pick up calls put across to her mobile. She was also yet to reply to messages sent to her line as of the time of filing this report, on Friday.
However, a petition addressed to CP Olaleye and signed by Lawyer to the victim, Barr Chidiebere Nweze, dated Wednesday, May 3, 2023, and titled, "A CASE OF CONSPIRACY, ATTEMPTED MURDER, ARSON AND BURGLARY AGAINST MONDAY NWEKE OTE; SAM ITUMO ALMACO, NWABUEZE ODUM; ETHELBERT NWANKWO; NWEKE NWOBA (a.k.a TAM TAM); OGBONNIA OKAFOR; IROBUCHI UGEH; KENNETH NWAFOR; KINGSLEY NWEKE-NSHI; AND OTHERS,' and copied to the Director of State Services, in the state, read, "We are Solicitors to Mrs Monica Nweke Oshibe, 60-years-old widow and a native of Ndiagu Ogboji of Ezza North LGA of Ebonyi State (hereinafter referred to as Our Client).
"And it is on her behalf and instruction that we write and state as hereunder:
that the above-mentioned persons in the company of others she could not recall their names, invaded her compound with arms at midnight of 30th April 2023 and burnt down her house and all her belongings therein."
