Tony Okafor, Awka
Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, the wife of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has
explained how her committee arrived at 322 persons allegedly killed in Anambra State .
Recall that The RAZOR Newspaper had on Wednesday exclusively reported how Mrs Ojukwu revealed a mass grave in Anambra State.
She said the mass grave had been sealed off for forensic investigation.
She said her committee, the Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission made the discovery in the course of their job, adding that “Some 322 persons were verified as killed or dead as a result of violence as testified by the witnesses while so many are still missing or their fate not yet verified.
Hailing the RAZOR report, Mrs Ojukwu explained further how the figure of 322 dead persons were arrived at by The Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission.
She said the 322 persons were not like buried in the discovered mass grave in the state.
She said,”Cheers but kindly note that 322 is not the estimate of those buried within the grave site.
“It is a collective and verifiable figure for this phase of public hearings, of those killed as a result of communal conflicts, unknown gunmen, cult related violence, the struggle for mineral resources, chieftaincy or PG disputes, etc..
Ojukwu had in the RAZOR report said her Commission was headed by Prof Chidi Odinkalu, and it interrogated a total of 39 witnesses who testified on oath while 243 exhibits were collected during the course of the proceedings.
She added,”The commission also met with 31 petitioners, including 11 organisations, 19 communities and one individual during the marathon sittings which lasted from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3.
“18 persons have been categorically identified as missing or disappeared. In the course of the proceedings, the gruesome discovery of a mass grave site was brought by testimonies,to the attention of the Commission.
“Chairman of the Commission Prof Chidi Odinkalu mandated that the suspected mass-grave site be sealed for forensic investigation by pathologists. This will help in unraveling who the victims were and the circumstances of their deaths.
The Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission was constituted by Gov. Charles Soludo in June 2022 to inquire into the violent agitations, and restiveness in the state and in neighbouring states.
