Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
Ebonyi State was plunged into grief on Thursday as Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru led a sorrowful state burial for eleven indigenes brutally murdered by unknown assailants at Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, on May 30, 2025.
The solemn ceremony, held at Unity Square, Abakaliki, saw rows of white-draped coffins that evoked tears from families, friends, government officials, and sympathisers who gathered to pay their last respects.
In an emotional address, Governor Nwifuru condemned the killings, describing them as a cruel assault on the Ebonyi people. He lamented that, despite the passage of several weeks, security agencies had yet to make any arrests.
As immediate succour, the governor announced a compensation package of ₦5 million to each of the bereaved families, amounting to over ₦60 million, with a directive that the funds be invested in businesses within Ebonyi State. He explained that the support was intended to strengthen widows and orphans left behind and to discourage Ebonyians from seeking survival in hostile environments.
“We must put an end to the humiliation and bloodshed of our people in places where they should be safe as Igbos. I appeal to the families to use this support wisely here at home and never again look for livelihood in unsafe territories,” Nwifuru stated.
The governor further used the occasion to caution against internal divisions within Igboland, stressing that marginalisation and hostility among Igbos only worsen insecurity.
“We cannot continue treating ourselves as outsiders. Unity, respect, and love among us are the only way to safeguard our people,” he declared.
The victims, mostly young men, left behind widows and children, including 20-year-old Mrs. Ofim, who now faces life as a widow with a baby in her arms, a heartbreaking symbol of the massacre’s toll.
Government officials, including the Commissioner for Information, Barr. Ikeuwa Omebe, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, joined in consoling the bereaved and assured them of continued government support.
Clerics offered prayers for the repose of the souls before the coffins were lowered with state honours and later transported to their ancestral communities for final rites.
The Ogboji killings remain under investigation, highlighting the growing insecurity in the Southeast and renewing calls for stronger protection of citizens beyond state boundaries.
