By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ebonyi State chapter, and the Member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, have strongly condemned the brutal killing of 13 Ebonyi indigenes during a town union meeting in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The victims, who were attending their routine monthly meeting, were reportedly gunned down in cold blood by unknown assailants.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Justice Okoha Chibuzor, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Ebonyi State, described the killings as barbaric, inhumane, and a violation of Igbo cultural values and societal norms.

“This act is not only inimical to societal growth and development, but also alien to our culture. Even God abhors such wickedness,” he stated.

He called on Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State and all relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We urge security agencies to fish out those behind this heinous crime and prosecute them. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims. We pray for the peaceful repose of our brothers whose lives were cut short in their prime,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hon. Chinedu Ogah also condemned the killings, describing them as a deliberate attempt to sow disunity among the Igbo people.

Ogah recalled a similar incident just weeks earlier, in which another Ebonyi indigene was allegedly killed by members of a local vigilante group known as Operation Udo Ga Achi without consequence.

“The killers of Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra State are trying to cause disunity in the South East. Security agencies and Governor Soludo must not allow this to continue,” Ogah said in a statement.

“How can gunmen storm a peaceful town meeting in broad daylight and massacre people, yet no one claims to know who did it? Operation Udo Ga Achi had previously killed an Ebonyi man, and till date, nothing has been done.”

He urged the Anambra State Government and security forces to urgently go after the culprits, insisting that such atrocities must not go unpunished.

Ogah expressed concern over what he described as targeted attacks on Ebonyi people living in Anambra State, and called on Governor Soludo to ensure the safety of all residents, regardless of their origin.

While urging calm among Ebonyi citizens, he also advised them to refrain from retaliatory actions that could escalate the already tense situation.

“Let us remain calm. Justice will prevail. We must not take the law into our own hands,” he appealed.