The youth, under the support of Ozubulu Youths Association, said it had handed over the matter to God for vengeance.
The youth of Ozubulu community in Anambra State, where no fewer than 13 worshippers were killed on August 6 at the St. Philip’s Catholic Church by gunmen have said they would not avenge the killings.
The youth, under the support of Ozubulu Youths Association, said it had handed over the matter to God for vengeance.
According to the youths, “We will not take the law into our own hands. We have handed the killing of our parents, brothers and sisters who died in the St. Philip’s Catholic Church attack on August 6, 2017 to God, but we are willing and ready to fully cooperate with the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime against our people.”
A version of the story said the gunmen came from a neighbouring state to Anambra to attack the community to retaliate the killing of their kinsman in South Africa over a business disagreement with an Ozubulu indigene.
But rising from an emergency meeting of the OYA National Executive Council on Monday, the group maintained that it would be civil in pursuing the matter.
It urged security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation into the massacre and urged the Anambra State Government and security agencies to beef up security in the state.
The group’s position was contained in a communiqué signed by its National Chairman and Secretary, Messrs Emeka Anaekwe, and Val Iwuchukwu, respectively.
Copies of the communiqué were sent to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ozubulu; the traditional ruler of Ozubulu, Obi Fedelis Oruche; the President General of Ozubulu Development Union; the Department of State Services; Ekwusigo Local Government Area; and the Transition Committee Chairman of Ekwusigo council.
The statement read in part, “We plead with the security agencies to kindly release all the innocent people arrested in connection with that black Sunday incident at Ofufe Amakwa, Ozubulu.
“We most sincerely commend the state and the Federal Government delegations that came to Ozubulu to sympathise with the entire people of our town and the Obi of Ozubulu, Obi Nnamdi Oruche, Ezeugodinobi, Okife II.
“We the youth of Ozubulu wish to set the records straight and state as follows: that Ozubulu town is a peaceful and loving town that welcomes indigenes and non-indigenes from various parts of the country as brothers and sisters.
“We totally condemn in its entirety the killing of those innocent worshippers at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu.
“We also want to make it clear that we are not killers, drug peddlers nor kidnappers as being rumoured; we are good and law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, who do not and cannot take the law into our own hands. We, therefore, ask for justice so that the souls of the departed can rest in peace.”
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