A N10 million reward has been offered by the Ezinano community in Anambra State for any helpful information that aids law enforcement in apprehending suspected cultists responsible for the deaths of more than 20 residents.
The tragedy in Ifite, a nearby town, where seven people were also slain under identical circumstances, happened two weeks after the Nibo incident.
Jeff Nweke, a leader of the Ezinano community in the state’s Awka South Local Government Area, announced the prize on Saturday at the town’s empowerment program at Awka’s community square.
He said, “We are donating the sum of N10m to help the police and other security agencies arrest the killers of over 20 persons in Nibo and Ifite communities. The money will go to any person or group that will give the police and other security agencies useful information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.’’.
Nweke, who condemned the murders and called the location peculiar, urged the police to work with the populace to find the criminals and bring them to justice.
The community leader, who also serves as the CEO of the Blue Shield Security organisation in Awka, bemoaned the high rate of moral degradation among young people and urged parents to do more to help their kids develop moral values.
As part of his leadership initiatives, he also promised N50 million to help the community’s impoverished women improve their agricultural practices.
He claims that the funds would enable the ladies to establish poultry and fish farms to provide for their families and enhance socioeconomic activity in the region.
To give the ladies even more influence, he said that an additional N50 million would be given to them in December.
To guarantee the town’s continuous progress, Mr Nweke, whose term as a community leader will end next month, asked his constituents to provide his successor with the same level of support.
Arinze Ekelem, another Ezinano community leader, also spoke out against the rise in crime, which he blamed on the get-rich-quick mindset.
Ekelem also assigned parents and guardians the responsibility of teaching children moral principles.
Additionally, he counselled recipients of the empowerment help to make appropriate use of the monies.
Ngozi Nnonyelu, a woman leader in the community, responded on behalf of the ladies by thanking the community leadership for the gift and asking God to richly reward him.
In addition to using the empowerment funds for the stated purpose, Mr Nnonyelu gave the people his word that the ladies would influence their children to reduce young unrest.