ASSAILANTS KILL FATHER, MOTHER AND DAUGHTER IN ANAMBRA CHURCH

Reporter : UCHE NEDEKE

Unknown assailants have allegedly murdered a man, his wife and daughter inside a church in Azia Community, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The incident, which occurred at about seven o’clock Wednesday evening, during a church programme, threw the entire area into mourning as they scampered for safety.

Late Mr. Kenneth Ekwesianya, was a retired Director in the Anambra State Ministry of Education while his Grace, was Headmistress of a school in Azia and the daughter, Miss Chioma, was almost rounding off her masters degree programme.

On Wednesday, they went for a church programme in their community, Azia but never had the thought that they would meet their death in such a place.

Unknown assailants allegedly stormed the church at about seven o’clock in the evening and shot late Ekwesianya in the head before shooting his wife, daughter and other members of the congregation.

Younger brother of the deceased and former Chairman Nigeria Medical Association, Anmabra State Branch, Dr. Emmanuel Ekwesianya, who said he was trained by the deceased, narrated that other members of the church sustained various degrees of bullet wounds.

Dr. Ekwesianya said the hoodlums, who came in a motorcycle, later drove out with the deceased car before it was abandoned on the expressway.

He appealed to security agents not to sweep such matter under the carpet but work hard to unravel those behind the heinous crime.

Another indigene of the area, Mr. Nze Nze, who described the incident as very unfortunate, raised alarm over the rising cases of insecurity in Ihiala area.

According to Nze, the level of cult activities in the area in the past one year has become worrisome to residents as suspects apprehended by security agents are often times released with little or no conviction.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Haruna Muhammed, said investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident as effort was being intensified to arrest perpetrators of the dastardly act to bring them to justice.