The Godson Igwe family of Umuafom Orogwe in the Owerri West LGA are happy laying the remains of their patriarch, Pa Godson Igwe, to rest last Wednesday after a church service at St Marks Anglican Church, Orogwe as the family planned it.
Still they are not happy over the demise of their father as such at the age of ninety years but over joy that the two cows (one white, one brown) they bought for the funeral which suddenly disappeared a day to the burial day were recovered from cow thieves.
Narrating their ordeal to Trumpeta, a son of the family, Mr Darlington Igwe said the two cows were bought late last Monday (27th July 2015) and tied to strong trees within the premises. He said they kept vigil till about 3.30am that early morning before taking a nap preparatory to the burial proper on Wednesday.
He disclosed that the entire mourning family was thrown into confusion as they came out to behold the disappearance of the two cows at about 4am and subsequently search parties were quickly dispersed to various ends of the community and beyond. Not quite long, the search party at the borders of the Irete community called to intimate others of their discovery, “We have seen the cows in the midst of other cows here”, the voice announced.
The search party then reported the matter to mobile police officers at the base there who quickly accompanied them to the site where the cows were grazing with two Fulani herdsmen. On citing a of group people approaching them and suspecting danger the herdsmen “spoke” to the cows and they all ran away and headed towards the Irete Industrial layout area where they converged even without the herdsmen.
However, when the two herdsmen were interrogated, they confessed passing through Orogwe community from Ukwuorji at about 4am that morning adding that then they stole the two cows.
They said the brown cow which could not run far like others just came from Cameroun and as such could not take their commands whereas the white cow according to them is almost an indigene and as such hears their command.
On how they were able to identify the cows, Mr Darlington Igwe said the rope with which one of the cows was tethered was still around its neck.
Meanwhile, the two Fulani herdsmen as at the time of filing this report are currently chatting with the police at the Ogbaku Divisional Police Command in Mbaitoli LGA.
