Tragic: 5 Persons Killed in Idumuje-Ugboko on Christmas Day

Idumuje-Ugboko Community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State was thrown into pandemonium on Christmas day following the killing of a woman and four of her grandchildren by gunmen suspected to be hired assassins.

The incident which occurred in the agrarian community between late Saturday and early hours of Sunday created tension in the area as residents discussed what led to the gruesome killing of the five members of the same family.

PUNCH reports that the victims were shot before their apartment was set ablaze by the assailants. Their corpses were said to have been seriously burnt.

A source gave the name of the grandmother as Comfort Ubani, while the names of the four grandchildren, who were between the ages of six and 13, could not be immediately obtained at the time of filing this report.

A resident of the community, Benjamin Ogbechie, said the hoodlums struck when the deceased were still sleeping and could not raise the alarm.

Another source said, “The victims were shot dead by unknown persons, who thereafter gathered their corpses in the sitting room and set them ablaze.

“The burnt remains of the grandmother and three of the children were found in the sitting room, while the remains of the fourth child were found in the compound. The cause of the fire has yet to be established, but we saw pieces of clothes forced into their mouths.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, visited the scene of the incident and described the incident as pathetic.

He assured the people of Idumuje-Ugboko community that the police would apprehend those behind the killings, adding that the matter would not be swept under the carpet.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said investigation into matter had begun.

He added that the corpses had been deposited in a morgue in the area.