Tension continues to mount in the Mburubu community of Nkanu East Local Government Area, Enugu State, as a community leader, Hon. Egbo Obinna Stephen, has alleged that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt allegedly orchestrated by the Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prince Lawrence Ezeh.
Stephen made the allegation while speaking with SaharaReporters during a fact-finding visit to the community, claiming that armed hoodlums stormed his residence multiple times on the night of Friday, October 31, 2025, in a coordinated attempt to kill him.
According to Stephen, the attack was linked to the protracted traditional rulership tussle in the community and occurred on the eve of the New Yam Festival organised by one of the traditional leadership contenders, Engr. Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, whom he openly supports.
Stephen said that at about 7:00 p.m. on October 31, residents became uneasy after buses allegedly conveying armed men arrived at Nkwo Mburubu Market.
“By 7 p.m., we saw about four buses offloading strange men at Nkwo Market. I immediately left the area and returned home,” he said.
He explained that by 8:30 p.m., the situation deteriorated as loud war songs and threatening chants echoed across the community, prompting fear among residents.
“At around 8:30 to 9 p.m., the songs turned into war chants. My wife advised me to leave the house because, as an ardent supporter of Igwe Jerry Onuokaibe, I could be targeted,” Stephen said.
He said he fled to the residence of Onuokaibe, where security operatives were present, believing it was safer.
“At about 2 a.m. on November 1, my wife called to tell me that the hoodlums had come to my house four times searching for me,” he said.
Stephen alleged that after failing to find him, the attackers vandalised his home, firing gunshots indiscriminately and destroying property.
“They fired shots all over my compound—inside the house and even on the roof,” he said, pointing to visible bullet holes during SaharaReporters’ visit.
He said the attackers shattered glass windows, damaged roofing sheets, and destroyed valuables, leaving his family traumatised.
“When I installed the glass windows, they were N35,000 per piece. Now they cost about N130,000 each,” he said, adding that roofing materials had more than doubled in price.
Stephen said his wife and brother, who witnessed the attack, identified some of the assailants as members of the Mburubu community and alleged that the operation was led by the chairman of the community’s Neighbourhood Watch.
Asked if he knew those behind the attack, Stephen said he firmly believed they were sent by Commissioner Ezeh.
“Yes, of course. There are eyewitnesses. My wife and my brother recognised some of them. They were sent,” he alleged.
He described the attack as politically motivated, linking it directly to the Igweship contest, and accused the commissioner of sponsoring violence against perceived opponents.
Stephen identified himself as a former chairman of the PDP, APC, and Labour Party in the Mburubu community.
Newsmen had earlier reported that the crisis escalated on December 1, 2025, when the Mburubu General Assembly accused Commissioner Ezeh of arming youths and orchestrating violent attacks that left several people injured and properties destroyed.
Confirming the tension, a community stakeholder, Chief Aniobi Vincent Okafor, said the violence was rooted in the prolonged traditional leadership dispute.
Community leaders also alleged that several attacks and assassination attempts targeting Onuokaibe occurred in October and November 2025.
However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Dr. Chidipeters Okorie, Commissioner Ezeh denied all allegations, describing them as “desperate fabrications” by a small group allegedly seeking to destabilise the community.
The crisis reportedly deepened after the Nkanu East Divisional Police Command arrested the chairman of the community’s Neighbourhood Watch following fresh allegations of vandalism at Mburubu Community Secondary School.
Residents alleged that the Neighbourhood Watch chairman, popularly known as Akpaka, was installed with the backing of the commissioner and led the October 31 attacks. Police authorities are yet to issue a detailed statement on the arrest.
The escalating unrest has drawn concern from youth groups and civil society organisations. The Ohanaeze Youth Council has called on Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to intervene urgently, demanding an impartial investigation and enhanced security deployment.
Residents warned that without swift government action, the crisis could degenerate further, threatening peace and stability in the community.
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