The peaceful Umumba Ndiagu community in Ezeagu Local Government Area, Enugu State, was rocked by unrest on Tuesday after young people there accused a well-known community member, Ichie Millions (also called Ezeani), of engaging in illegal activities, such as kidnapping and rituals, at his expansive compound.
Ezeani, who had gone undercover as a businessman, was allegedly a native physician with a sinister secret.
It was said that Ezeani, the self-styled businessman, was abducting people from his facility. For ceremonial reasons, the native doctor was accused of burying victims alive in soak-away holes, including youngsters and pregnant women.
In their quest for the truth, the young people were astounded by what they discovered in Ezeani’s complex. The neighborhood was completely stunned to learn that remains had been found buried in soak-away holes.
Social media users were ravaging Ezeani’s compound, including what looked to be his shrine, in a video that went viral. As the neighborhood learned of his horrific crimes, the situation worsened.
In a video that went viral, one of the young victims who only managed to escape Ezeani’s grasp described her terrifying ordeal. “I went to get firewood so that my father and I could fry our garri,” she recalled. My dad was requested for his cutlass by his troops, and he gave it to them. I was suddenly seized and held in a pit they had excavated. When I began to cry, the Neighborhood Watch officers mercifully heard me and came to my aid.
Another startling video shows a community member explaining the finding, stating, “We have caught the killers.” They kill people. The bodies of people are in here. They have a large number of victims. We recently saved a 13-year-old kid who they intended to use for ceremonies.
A suspect who claimed to be a security guard that Ezeani had hired to guard his compound was also captured by the young people, according to the video.
When the enraged youngsters saw this man in the video, they stripped him nude, bound him, and abandoned him in the complex. He acknowledged that he frequently visited Ezeani’s home for ceremonial purposes, even though he denied any role in the murders.
The defendant, who called Ezeani “Daddy Ezeani,” clarified during the irate teens’ interrogation of him, “I came here as a businessman. A water sacrifice still needed to be made for me after I had completed a few sacrifices. I awaited the completion of all tasks for myself. There is work to be done, but I’m not sure how he accomplished it. In this case, however, they typically ask the visitor to do an errand. This area is owned by Daddy Ezeani, who instructed me to keep it safe and deter visitors.
Ezeani’s whereabouts were unclear at the time of the finding, and he was allegedly on the run. But the community retaliated by burning his house and cars, and it was alleged that some of his wives were apprehended by the young people.
A police manhunt for a Native doctor who is on the run
The fugitive local physician is reportedly the target of a manhunt authorized by Bitrus Giwa, the police commissioner.
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“Police operatives of the Enugu State Command, attached to the Umumba Division, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Watch personnel and vigilant community members, successfully rescued a 13-year-old girl (name withheld), allegedly kidnapped for ritual murder, at Umuojor village in Ishiagu community of Ezeagu Local Government Area,” the police said in a statement released by the command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
Three men, Uche Kingsley Agumba, 33; Ilo Nweze Onyedikachi, 36; and Ejike Odinwankpa, 38, were also apprehended as a result of the operation. Prime suspect Levi Onyeka Obu, a popular member of the community and a native doctor known by the nicknames “Ezeani” and “E-Dey-Play-E-Dey-Show,” escaped the scene and is still at large.
“During the rescue, two decaying bodies—one male and one female—were found buried in a concrete-sealed hole within an incomplete building that belonged to the escaping lead suspect and was used for horrible criminal crimes as well as religious purposes.
Investigative findings show that the suspects had recently killed the victims and buried them in the pit for ceremonial reasons; prior to the prompt intervention, the rescued youngster was on the verge of meeting the similar end.
As required by law, the Enugu State Government has destroyed the structures utilized for the criminal operation and owned by the fugitive key suspect.
“CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, the Commissioner of Police, has praised the work of the police officers, local security organizations, and community people whose cooperation made the operation successful. Giwa attended the crime scene right away.
In an effort to bring justice to the fugitive culprit and any other surviving collaborators, he has also instructed the Command’s Tactical Squads, Investigation, and Intelligence Units to step up their efforts.
