Armed herdsmen kill motorcyclist, kidnap female FUTO student

By Chidi Nkwopara

Uneasy calm has enveloped Ihiagwa and Amaeze communities, Owerri North local council area of Imo State, following the gruesome murder of a commercial motorcyclist and abduction of his female passenger by armed herdsmen.
Confirming the incident in a short video clip, a member of the kidnapped lady’s family, who simply identified himself as Ibenyenwa, said: “The lady is a student of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and the wife of one of my younger brothers.
“She was on her way to school when the ugly incident occurred. She was kidnapped by herdsmen operating on the Ihiagwa-Amaeze road.
“The slain motorcyclist is a native of Ihiagwa. This is what we are passing through now.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of Nzuko Owere General Assembly has, in a press statement, condemned the killing of the motorcyclist and abduction of the female student by the marauding herdsmen.
The statement, which was signed by the National President, Hon. Dan Ikpeazu, and five others, called for”urgent action from security agencies “.
Part of the statement read: “Nzuko Owere General Assembly, the apex socio-cultural body of Owerri people, condemns in the strongest terms, the continued onslaught of killings and kidnappings of citizens of Owerri Federal Constituency by suspected herdsmen and bandits.  
“The latest disturbing episode occurred along the Amaeze-Ihiagwa Road, where a commercial motorcycle operator from Ihiagwa community was brutally butchered by armed assailants.
“In the same attack, a female student, who was his passenger, was abducted and taken to an unknown destination.  
“This barbaric act is one killing too many. The lives of our people can no longer be treated as expendable.
“The Amaeze-Ihiagwa Road and other rural routes across Owerri Federal Constituency have become death traps and theatres of terror, where farmers, students, traders, and transporters, are ambushed daily with impunity.  
“We condole with the bereaved family of the slain victim and the entire people of Ihiagwa Community over the cold murder of their son, and call on our security agencies to intensify effort to rescue the kidnapped victim.
“We use this opportunity to advice our people to avoid lonely,  dilapidated, and ungoverned roads, especially at dusk.
“Our community vigilante groups should increase surveillance and work closely with law enforcement agencies.
“Nzuko Owere aligns with the call by notable Nigerians by advising our people on the need for self-preservation. Enough is enough.”
Efforts made to get the police angle failed, as the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Henry Okoye, could not be reached on his line at press time.