Two years after cultists set on fire, the house, belonging to family of a suspect in a murder case, Kingsley Emeka Ikpa, the entire family is on the run and yet to return home for fear of reprisal attack
Fear of reprisal attack and imminent revenge for the killing of a suspected cultist whose name was given as Christopher ,son of the Ufomba family of Ezeoke Nsu,in Ehime Mbano LGA also of Imo State, the Ikpas have no roof over their heads.The Ikpa family had to flee for their lives over incessant raids by grieving ufombas.
What however made the Ikpas to go underground and seek for safety elsewhere is because of the reported threat by the family of the mudered Christopher to wipe out any one spotted in the family.
According to reports, the threat may not be unconnected with the constant visits of suspected cultists to the family of the Ikpas, still searching for who to devour or kill as part of the revenge plot.
Though the killing of Christopher ufomba took place during a cult attack, his siblings and aggrieved youths of Nsu are said to be up in arms to seek for revenge and perhaps cut their own pound of flesh from the suspected assailant, Kingsley Emeka Ikpa.The cult war leading to the death of christopher Ufomba,as we were informed took place on the 14th of December 2021.A previous reprisal attack in the rustic village of Nkumeato in Ihitte Uboma LGA of Imo State had left the burnt home of the Ikpa family desolate and in rubbles more than two years after their family house was burnt down over the ugly incident.
Trouble had started for the Ikpas following the death of a suspected cultist, Christopher ufomba,outside the village for which Kingsley Emeka Ikpa, cousin to the Ikpas, was fingered as a suspect since he belongs to the same cult with the deceased.
Unable to bear the gruesome murder in cold blood of their son,christopher,the Ufomba family of the deceased, at Nsu,and their bereaved,all vowed to revenge the killing of their son.
However,on the very day they embarked on the revenge mission and reprisal attack,the suspect, Kingsley Emeka Ikpa,as if given a tip off escaped before the aggrieved bereaved Ufombas killer squad could arrive the Ikpa family at Nkumeato Ihitte Uboma LGA.Angered and embittered for missing their target and believing that by his sudden disappearance, Kingsley Emeka Ikpa must have a hand in the killing of their son christopher Ufomba who belonged to the same cult group as Kingsley, they immediately set the family house of the Ikpas ablaze with an added threat to eliminate any member of the suspect’s family at sight.The ugly development led to everyone bearing the Ikpa surname,to flee for their safety.Among the i Ikpas whose whereabouts have remained a mystery ever no one is yet to be traced either dead or alive. When our reporter and newspaper crew visited the Ikpa family of Nkumeato Ihitte village on a fact finding,the rubbles of the burnt family house of the Ikpas had been overgrown by bush and possibly taken over by reptiles and rodents.The entire place is completely desolate and looks like a cemetery.Funny enough no one in the neighborhood was willing to volunteer information about the whereabouts of the survivors of the violent attacks on Ikpas.Their fears stem from the fact that the members of the Ufomba family of Nsu have been clandestinely and nocturnally laying ambushes in the area,in the event any of the Ikpas ,now on the run ,shows up,so as to apprehend them for revenge killing.
It was not gathered if the police at Isinweke divisional police station has waded into the development to attempt to restore peace.Our finding was that with the isinnweke divisional police station burnt beyond recognition,by end SARS protesters,any enquiry should be channelled to Otoko Divisional Police station at far away Obowo LGA
