Anambra Govt Declares Masquerade Wanted For Punching 71-year-old Man To Death

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Anambra Govt Declares Masquerade Wanted For Punching 71-year-old Man To Death

A 19-year-old man identified as Ifechukwu Nweke, has been declared wanted by the government of Anambra State over the alleged murder of a 71-year-old man, Shedrack Okoye while masquerading at Umuawulu community in Awka South Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the suspect from Unuenu quarters, Umuawulu, punched Okoye of Okpala-Nduka kindred of Enugu quarters, also in Umuawulu, to death after he refused to give him money.

The unfortunate incident happened on December 26, 2023, while the deceased was accompanying a friend who visited him.

Reacting to the incident in his office at the Jerome Udorji Secretariat, Awka, on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. the State Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, comrade Don Onyenji stated that the act is against the state’s law on masquerading enacted in 2022 which specified that communities using masquerades as a form of entertainment, during festivals or festivities should have an arena where people seeking such fun should go and enjoy themselves.

According to Onyenji, the state’s law stipulates that on no account should a masquerade or masquerade obstruct people’s movement block a community’s road or cause any problem in a community he said that masquerading as a culture is all about fun and entertainment.

He said that it is against the law for the particular masquerade to stop people going on their way and talk less of killing someone.

The Commissioner made it clear that it is a murder case which must be tackled with every seriousness it deserves, noting that the culprit must face the law no matter how long it takes.

While sympathizing with the deceased’s family, Onyenji urged them not to take laws into their own hands but cooperate with the community through the traditional ruler whom he said has been making plans to give the dead a befitting burial.

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased is demanding justice, alleging that the Umuawulu community is not doing anything serious to get the culprit to face the law.

Speaking to the Punch, the deceased's first son, Chidubem lamented that the corpse of the deceased had been dumped in the mortuary since his murder following hindrances the family encountered in the search for justice and the burial of their father.