WHEN many residents of Imo State talked about the Jamatul Ahllis Sunnah Lidda Awatu wal-Jihad, more popularly called Boko Haram; they did so with some detachment.
They did not relate the activities of the violent sect directly to themselves, though those whose relations lived in the far North, sometimes worried.
But such detachment came to an end following the January 20 attacks by the sect in the city of Kano in which an uncle and his nephew were killed by Boko Haram members.
On Saturday, people from as far away as neighbouring states, trooped to Umuneche, Umuokpo, Emeabiam, Owerri West Local Council of Imo State to attend the burial of the two-Chris Precious Anyanwu,14 and his uncle, Chimobi Chinonso Anyanwu, 34.
Eleven -year-old Daniel, who but for Providence, would have been the third victim, watched in the car as his brother and uncle were shot to death by the sect members who were dressed in Army uniform.
“I saw everything happen. I was inside the car. They shouted Allakubaru before they killed my brother, shooting him on the leg first and later firing more shots at him. My uncle, Chimobi was shot severally in the stomach before he died.”
The late Chris’ father and brother to the late Chimobi, Alhaji Ibrahim Precious Chinonso told The Guardian he was in Saudi Arabia but came back home to bury his son and brother.
He was in steady telephone contact with the victims until they were shot dead.
The three, who would have returned to the East two days later, on Sunday, January 22, had left Sabon Gari with Chimobi at the wheel of his Toyota Camry, driving to their home at the other end of the city when they suddenly heard explosions and gunfire.
“At that particular time, I was speaking with them on phone.
“I asked them where they were and they told me they were on the road, Chimobi driving as they tried to get home. Then, they told me there was a problem and were unable to go further. I told them: ‘look, why can’t you reverse and go back to Sabon Gari and they told me that everywhere had been blocked.
“Then they said they would try to use one track route to get back to Sabon Gari, just before I heard gunshots and explosions.
“They even asked me if I heard the explosions and I answered ‘Yes, I heard it, but God would protect you people. Go safely’.
“After two minutes, I began calling their numbers again but no one was answering.
“I kept on calling until around 1.00a.m. that fateful day, when my younger sister called me to say that my children had been killed, apart from my wife and daughter.
“Later, they went to mortuary and saw their corpses, and some soldiers helped retrieve and escort them from City mortuary to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano.
“I told them to carry out an autopsy and get a death certificate so that I could take their bodies. At the end they succeeded in doing that after paying the police and soldiers.”
According to the 40- year-old Alhaji Ibrahim Chinoso, the boy, Chris, was to travel to the United Kingdom to join Arsenal’s youth team before Boko Haram members killed him.
A football match was played in the late Chris’s honour at Emeabiam Comprehensive School, Owerri West Playground.
A councilor in Owerri West Local Council, and member of the bereaved family, Iyke Anyanwu-Nwosu told The Guardian he had a herculean task bringing the corpses back home from Kano.
He said Chimaobi was shot about six times, while Chris was shot on the leg the first time and later was shot several times before his death.
He said Chimaobi was driving along the road when the sect members in military uniform stopped them, dragged them out of the car and shot them, adding that they took the car way to an unknown place till date.
He said the two were to return to the ancestral family home in Emeabiam, Imo State two days before they died.
In an emotion-laden funeral service at the family compound, Pastor Udoka Walters of The Locust Army International lamented with tears how the duo met their untimely, violent death.
Quoting from the Scriptures, Pastor Walters made reference to death as an enemy of God, stressing that a great wound had been inflicted on the family and on everybody present.
“A great wound has been inflicted on every person here, but every pain has healing. The plan of God is not the plan of death.”
He urged the entire family members not to wail as people who had no hope, stating that God would comfort them.
Incidentally, there was no Imo State government representative at burial.
When contacted, the Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Obinna Duruji, told The Guardian he was not aware that no Imo State government representative attended the burial.
He also expressed dismay that the representative of Imo West in the Imo State House of Assembly did not attend the funeral.
He said: “I am not aware. I just came back from Abuja. I have to inquire further. The Caretaker Chairman and member elected in the House of Assembly aught to have been there.”
When the bodies of 12 indigenes of Anambra State killed by Boko Haram members were brought back home, the state government led by Governor Peter Obi participated in the burial and donated some money to their families.
