Residents of the Oriendu autonomous community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State have raised alarm over the discovery of more than 30 bodies in the Imo River, believed to be victims of ritual killings.
The community’s traditional ruler, HRH Eze Philip Ajomiwe, disclosed this shocking development to journalists in his palace following the recent discovery of a woman’s corpse.
According to the monarch, most of the bodies were found either completely unclothed with missing private parts or wrapped in bags. Some decomposing remains have also been spotted near the NNPC pipeline.
“The victims are mostly young girls. Ritualists from Imo State reportedly arrive at night to dispose of their victims’ bodies in the Imo River, and by morning, we wake up to these gruesome sights,” he lamented.
Eze Ajomiwe expressed concern that security agencies have yet to make any arrests despite numerous reports. He added that efforts by the community’s vigilante group to apprehend the perpetrators had failed due to inadequate resources.
“We are appealing to the state government to provide our vigilante group with the necessary support and logistics to confront these criminals. We cannot fight armed individuals with bare hands,” he stated.
The monarch revealed that several attempts to engage security forces, including writing to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly on February 7, had yielded no results.
“We have reported the matter to the DSS, and they visited the community for a meeting, but we need government intervention to bring those responsible to justice,” he stressed.
While acknowledging the state government’s recent increase in stipends for traditional rulers, he noted that the funds were insufficient to tackle insecurity, as monarchs lack security votes like governors to sustain vigilante operations.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Police Command has responded to the reports, stating that investigations will be conducted to verify the claims. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Maureen Chilaka assured that inquiries would be made with the relevant Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area to confirm the situation.
She also requested to know whether the traditional ruler had lodged a formal complaint at a police station and promised to provide further updates after her findings.