Woman burnt alive by suspected assassins

A 77-year-old woman, Elder Mrs. Grace Orizu was roasted alive on Saturday afternoon when her son’s five-room bungalow at Little Wood Estate, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state was allegedly set ablaze by suspected arsonists.

Her nine year old house help, Progress N w a c h u k w u , miraculously escaped death as neighbours who thronged the scene managed to rescue him alive from the kitchen where he had hidden as the fire rages.

The incident occurred when the arsonists believed to be after the life of her second son, Emeka Orizu who was recently elected as chairman of Little Wood Estate, Obosi, allegedly sneaked into the compound at about 3p.m., quietly sprinkled some liquid substances suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) all over the building, including its roof top and ignited the fire on it.

When the traditional ruler of Obosi, Igwe Chidubem Iweka visited the scene yesterday, it was discovered that not even a pin was recovered from the bungalow as both the zink, window louvres and all the household items were consumed by the inferno.

Narrating the incident to Igwe Iweka, Orizu said he left the house at about 2 p.m. for Ihiala on a condolence visit to his in-laws only to be called on phone by his wife at about 3.30 p.m. to inform him that somebody told her that their house was on fire.

Orizu further told the monarch that he noticed some clandestine movements by some undesirable elements around the house before he left for the condolence visit. He said he had already lodged a complaint at the Obosi Police Station where he even mentioned names of those he suspected to have set the house on fire.

He said the same persons who are opposing the Igwe are also after him because shortly after he won an election as chairman of Little Wood Estate, Obosi, he fired a warning signal to all the cultists and illicit drug peddlers residing at the Estate to relocate or he would expose them, as he was not ready to harbour them in the estate.

He also noted that the opposition approached him and requested that he should lead their boys to the bush to drive away Igwe’s land committee members and take over the control of the lands but he refused on the ground that the Igwe is the custodian of all the lands in Obosi and that he would support the traditional ruler’s fight against cultism, drug trafficking and other forms of criminalities in the area.

He disclosed that following his resolve to sustain the war against drug trafficking, the same arsonists who are working for some influential persons opposing the Igwe, launched their first attack on him on June 25, 2015 when they shot at him during a wake-keep, but he escaped death. He noted that, on the second occasion, they attacked him again with axe on July 26, 2015 and on November 1, they trailed him after a thanksgiving ceremony but he escaped for the third time. According to him, they now decided to set his house ablaze last Saturday, December 12 because he had been out of town.

Responding, Igwe Iweka described the incident as a dastardly act and called on the state government and law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter with a view to bringing the culprits to book.