family of nine die in weird circumstances

There was palpable
confusion Sunday
morning in Umuakuru,
Emekuku, Owerri
North local council
area of Imo State,
following the
unexplained death of
nine persons in their
sleep.
When Vanguard visited
the scene at about
8.30am on Sunday,
seven of the dead were
clustered in one room
while the lifeless bodies
of an unidentified
woman and her friend
were found in the
second room.
Vanguard investigations
equally revealed that the
nine dead persons,
including the only son
of the family, Paschal
Njoku, his wife, Juliana
and their five children,
were home to bury
their mother, Felicia
Njoku last Saturday, but
none survived to tell the
story.
Narrating what she
could remember to
Vanguard at the scene
of the ugly incident, the
second daughter of the
family, Kate, gave the
names of the deceased
citizens as Paschal
Njoku, Mrs. Juliana
Njoku, Ebere Njoku,
Jackline Njoku, Ifunanya
Njoku, Uchechi Njoku
and Chy-boy Njoku.
While saying that Mrs.
Christiana Uba and one
of her unidentified
friends that
accompanied her to the
funeral, died in the
incident, Kate also
lamented that villagers
only woke up Sunday
to behold a morbid
spectacle.
Speaking also, an inlaw
to the Njokus, Mr.
Ogbonna Awuzie,
recalled with grief that
Paschal and members
of his family went on
self exile to Owerri
because of what he
termed "the persistent
threat to their lives by
one of their
relations" (names
withheld).
"Paschal and members
of his family were given
sanctuary in Umuodu,
Owerri, in the past one
year due to serious
threat to his life and
property. He only went
home to bury his
mother last Saturday
and by Sunday
morning we were told
that they all died in very
mysterious
circumstances", Awuzie
recounted with grief.
The Commissioner for
Health, Dr. Joe Obi-
Njoku, who spoke to
Vanguard at the scene,
described the incident as
"a huge loss and indeed
a calamity but I have
advised that a post
mortem examination be
carried out to ascertain
the cause of death".
The situation however
became fully charged
when a truck load of
youths from yet to be
identifies town stormed
the rural village, started
shooting into the air and
smashed the
windscreens of cars
parked at the scene.
Some of the
sympathizers lost
valuable personal effects
in their bid to scamper
into safety, while the
policemen and Emekuku
youths regrouped to
match force with force.
As at the time of going
to press, one boy from
the camp of the
invading youths was
captured, beaten
mercilessly and was
being interrogated with
a view to ascertaining
who their sponsor was.
Meanwhile, the remains
of the dead were still
lying in the rooms at
about 11.30am when
Vanguard left
Umuakuru, Emekuku.

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