In the early hours of Saturday, tranquillity in the quiet community of Mburubu, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, was shattered when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attached to Mr Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, a disputed Igwe-elect, allegedly opened fire on passers-by during his preparations for a proscribed New Yam Festival.
A youth reportedly sustained gunshot in the leg as sporadic gunfire echoed through the community, sending terrified families fleeing their homes and plunging the area into pandemonium.
The unfolding crisis has reignited fears of renewed communal violence, drawing uneasy parallels with the recent clashes in Umuchigbo-Nike, where two brothers were killed and several properties razed.
According to eyewitness accounts, the violence broke out while Onuokaibe and his aides were making early preparations for the New Yam Festival—an event multiple court orders had explicitly barred him from organizing or sponsoring. Despite a subsisting judgment prohibiting him from parading himself as Igwe-elect of Mburubu, and a subsequent injunction restraining him from hosting the festival, sources say Onuokaibe insisted on proceeding, defying both the courts and state authorities. Fearing unrest, Enugu State Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, had earlier ordered the suspension of the festival, citing intelligence reports indicating a potential threat to public safety.
Residents told newsmen that the shooting occurred before the festival even began, as DSS operatives guarding Onuokaibe allegedly opened fire on residents and passers-by near the venue. “It was still dark; people were just going to their farms and shops when the shooting started,” said a witness who identified himself as Chibuike. “Some one was hit by a bullet. Everyone was running for safety.” Another community source claimed that an enraged Onuokaibe, frustrated by repeated legal and police restrictions, ordered his DSS guards to ‘shoot on sight’ anyone who came close. Reports suggest that armed thugs and unidentified persons later joined the DSS operatives, attacking residents and vandalizing property.
The gunfire has ignited outrage across Mburubu, where youths are reportedly protesting the shootings and demanding justice for the wounded.
The Commissioner of Police is expected to direct the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to launch a discreet investigation into the incident. “No one is above the law. Anyone found culpable—no matter their position—will face the full weight of justice,” Observers and civil society groups said, warning that if not swiftly contained, the Mburubu crisis could degenerate into another round of communal violence, reminiscent of the deadly Umuchigbo-Nike clashes.
As of press time, both the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Enugu State Police Command have yet to issue official statements regarding the shootings.
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