From DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi

THERE was pandemonium in Ezigbo village, Igbo-Ukwu com­munity, Aguata Local Govern­ment Area of Anambra State on Thursday, April 7, 2016, when a 30-year-old man, Ejike Nwankwo Ohagba ran amok and threw his mother into an abandoned well in his father’s compound. He also used blocks to kill her in the well.

Our source said the suspect had in September last year allegedly killed two of his siblings in the same well, set his family house ablaze and disappeared only to re­appear in the community last week to continue his killing spree.

On the fateful day, the source said, the suspect’s mother, late Mrs Christiana Nwankwo Ohagba, a widow, took off from where she was taking refuge since her family house was burnt to do some farming with a 14-year old boy, Chiemerie at the family compound. Meanwhile, the source said, the suspect was hiding somewhere within the compound, with his mother completely unaware of the danger lurking around the premises.

As Sunday Sun learnt from the source, it was Chiemerie who first saw Ejike and alerted the deceased that the suspect was in the com­pound. Chiemerie escaped but the deceased could not as the suspect swooped on her.

After wrestling with him to free herself in vain, she was thrown into the well by the suspect who went ahead to gather blocks and started throwing them into the well to ensure that she did not survive.

They said it was Chiemerie who reported the attack on them to other members of the community after running for a distance from the scene of the incident.

But before help could come, the widow was already dead in the well and the suspect varnished again. Police and the local vigilante were invited to help and bring out her body from the well.

Reacting to the incident, the traditional ruler of Igbo-Ukwu community, Igwe Martin Eze, Idu of Igbo-Ukwu, said he was still in shock over the incident and actu­ally dumbfounded.

The monarch said the incident was reported to the police. He implored the federal and state governments to set up rehabilita­tion centres in many communities where people could be rehabili­tated when they begin to exhibit unusual behaviour.

He also said that jobs should be created to get the youths employed to reduce the level of hardship which he noted was responsible for increase in crime in the society.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Ali Okechukwu, a Deputy Su­perintendent of Police said he was yet to confirm the incident.