BY DANIEL USONDU
OWERRI; A renowned Patron of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB), Chief Hyginus Nwadike and his wife have been allegedly shot dead in their home in Orlu, Imo state.
Sources said the IPOB local patron was shot dead after an argument ensued between him and some aggrieved persons whose relatives were allegedly killed by soldiers on their way to a crucial meeting.
His wife who was present during the ugly incident, was fatally wounded. She later died before she could get medical attention.
It was gathered that the late Chief Nwadike had led a group of youths to an IPOB meeting in Onitsha on July 30, 2016 where they reportedly clashed with soldiers in the outskirts of the city.. Five youths on the Chief’s entourage were alleged to have been killed during the encounter with the soldiers.
Following the incident, some relatives of the victims had accused their patron of being responsible for the death of the five youths.
The late Chief Nwadike consequently called for a meeting to resolve the matter. Tension, however, rose during the meeting as the chief failed to placate them. “The aggrieved persons thereafter stormed out of the meeting one after another, with threats to deal with the IPOB local patron”, sources said..
The matter invariably took an ugly dimension when some unidentified gunmen allegedly invaded the Chief’s home later that day and shot him dead. His wife who witnessed the shooting was was also shot. She died moments later.
The ugly incident was said to have thrown the entire Orlu town into confusion and panic. Relatives and close associates of the late Chief Nwadike, fearing further reprisals, have reportedly gone into hiding.
The police said no arrest had been made as the family of the late IPOB patron were yet to lodge any formal complain over the incident..
Meanwhile, the fate of the late Chief’s second son, Izuchukwu Nwadike and his sibling who were away from home when the incident occurred, hangs precariously in the balance even as they whereabouts remain unknown.
