Nibo Massacre: Survivors share harrowing experiences as Soludo visits community

Survivors of Sunday’s suspected rival cult attack in Nibo, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, where 12 people were killed, have shared their chilling experiences, attributing their survival to divine intervention.

The security director and commander of the community’s vigilante group, known as Wadada, expressed sorrow over the tragic turn of the annual festival, a beloved tradition for Nibo natives, which was marred by violence.

He recounted, “The attackers entered Nibo through Amawbia during our Ọnwa Asaa festival, marking our new yam celebration. They arrived in two vehicles, a Lexus Jeep and a Sienna, both without license plates. Passing through police checkpoints and the Governor’s Lodge, they opened fire on a group of people in a shop. One of my vigilante men, Uchenna Obiekwe, an only son who was unmarried, was killed.”

Wadada revealed that many others were injured, including the shop owner and his six-year-old daughter, who suffered bullet wounds to their legs. He expressed uncertainty over the identity of the attackers, unsure whether they were cultists, unknown gunmen, or armed robbers.

Reflecting on his narrow escape, he added, “It was by God’s grace I left the scene before they arrived.”

Another survivor, Ichie Oku, a staff member of the Anambra State Ministry of Information, shared his close brush with death. “You should thank God for sparing my life. I was at a joint on Sunday when they arrived. One of them pointed a gun at me, but another gang member told him I wasn’t their target. Despite this, he still pulled the trigger, but his colleague pushed him at that moment, causing the bullets to hit the wall behind me.”

Oku painfully recounted how three people beside him were killed instantly. The attackers returned moments later, shooting five more people before moving on to Eke Nibo, where they killed four others, bringing the death toll to 12. “It all happened in less than five minutes. If not for God, I would have been the 13th victim,” he said, mourning the loss of two family members, whom he planned to bury the following day.

In response to the tragedy, Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, visited the community to console grieving families and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. During a visit to Eke Nibo Market as part of his routine monitoring of state activities, Governor Soludo reaffirmed his commitment to eradicating cultism in Anambra.

The Nibo attack heightened the effect of the Monday sit-at-home order, as the once-bustling city of Awka was eerily quiet, with commercial activities at a standstill. Apart from one police checkpoint along the Awka-Onitsha expressway, all other checkpoints were abandoned, and banks and gas stations remained closed.