A pastor, John Onu of Glorious gospel fire Assembly, Monday lost his life to a stray bullet at Hatchery road, Abakaliki local government area of Ebonyi state.
Pastor Onu who may be around his late forty, early fifty years was said to be praying in his house when a stray bullet allegedly from policemen hit his chest.
Hatchery road was said to be in distreest on Sunday night when youths from EbyiaUnuhu village in Abakaliki LGA invaded Bosco guest house around number 11 hatchery road, set the generator house ablaze,destroyed other parts of the hotel.
It was alleged that the owner of the hotel, one Chukwudi Onyibe took some members of Ebubeagu security outfit to arrest someone that stole from him, on the process someone was killed.
An eyewitness account said the pastor was praying when gunshots from policemen who came to ensure peace and other was disturbing his prayers, that in an attempt to close his window he was hit by a stray gun.
“What happened this morning was terrific, this morning around 9am, we were hearing gunshots, and I was running outside to bring in my car that was packed outside, while going the security men chased me back and locked our gate. As I was running my children followed me, so instead of running inside my own building, I decided to run to the 3 storey building, to the upstairs where we can see what was happening, on looking for the floor to stay we heard some one shout my daddy my daddy, we started checking were the shout came from it happens to be from the pastor’s apartment.
When we went in their we saw the pastor lying on the ground, he later died in the hospital”.
Another eyewitness said ” I nearly fell into them, I was going to Abakaliki LGA to check my name in the Npower list, the Keke man decided to go through Hatchery road on getting to the bridge before the hotel, we almost bump into group of boys half necked with cutlasses, gun and other terrible weapon, the Kekeman now divert to a street where we later escaped.”
A top security personnel said: “3 person were killed, 3 others injured and was taken to hospital for treatment.”
When our correspondent visited the local government chairman, Emmanuel Nwangele, he said, “The truth is that I don’t have much to say because I was not there, it was around to 8pm or so that I was called that their was problem in our village EbyiaUnuhu. I called they said they have moved to, central Police station,CPS, then I called the D.P.O CPS to ascertain if their was any problem there.
“Even I was about to go to the village that night to calm the youths, but people around me kicked against it saying it was late that I should go in the morning, it was after that that I was later informed that somebody died.That they are rampaging to the extent that they came to one Bosco guest house and were dispelled by the police. They went back home and set ablaze houses in their compound.
“Swift reaction is that I was called that they also moved to my own house and also set it ablaze destroying so many things. I asked why when I don’t know the genesis at all. And I learnt they later went back to that Bosco guest house and set the place ablaze.
“Yes the owner of Bosco guest house is my S.A on IGR,his name is Chukwudi Onyibe. But information reaching me said he convened Ebubeagu personnel to go and make arrest of someone who stole from him, on their way to that place they had clash with somebody who overtook their vehicle”.
Meanwhile, the former commissioner of internal security who is now a consultant in the minsty confirmed the incident an said that all involved in the case has been arrested.
When contacted, the deputy police spokesperson, ASP Philips Levi said calmness has returned to the area as Policemen were deployed to ensure peace and other.
