A Nigerian man, his wife, daughter, and one other has been murdered by gunmen while worshipping at the Seven-Day Adventist Church in Azia, Anambra State, on Wednesday, February 3, Njenje Media News reports.
Eyewitnesses say the deceased persons with names; Kenneth Emekwasianya, 70, Grace Emekwasianya, 56, his wife, Chioma Emekwasianya, their daughter, 36, and Emeka Ntukokwu, 42, a secondary school teacher, were in the church for their midweek service.
According to the eyewitnesses, a masked gunman alighting from a motorcycle (Okada) barged into the church and rained bullets on the affected persons and thereafter took the keys of Mercedes C Class car belonging to Mr Emekwasianya.
The masked man accomplices who were lurking around entered the Mercedes Benz and sped off with it. The car reportedly developed a gear problem and was abandoned in Okija, a neighbouring town to Azia.
Unconfirmed reports had claimed the killers left a note inferring that they killed Mr Kenneth because he collected the money the Niger Delta Power Holding Company paid to the community as compensation for the destruction of an economic tree and other structures while the company implemented the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, in Azia.
Part of the alleged note read:
“Keep on running but you cannot hide all the time. You took our money.”
The Spokesperson of the state Police Command, Mohammed Haruna, while confirming the incident, said ;
”Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and effort is being intensified in order to arrest perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to justice.”
