Imo Community Youths Demolish Widow’ s House Over Witchcraft

Angry youths on Friday, bulldozed a building belonging to a widow
known as Grace Ugbuaja during a funeral of one of the youths from
Umuezu, Ndegwu in Owerri west Local Government Area of Imo
state,Ephrem Ugbuaja who was alleged to have been killed by the
witchcraft of the 72 year old widow.

According to report by PUNCH. The destruction of the property of the
woman which actually began at the wake keep of the 40-year-old
deceased last Thursday, saw the youths pulling down part of the
building belonging to the widow before they brought down the rest of
the building on the day of the funeral.

Saturday Punchreliably gathered from a source in the community that
the widow who have been having a running battle with the deceased for
a long period of time had three weeks ago, allegedly invoked her
witchcraft on Ephrem who after a heated argument that fateful day,
swore that he would never return home alive.

Incidentally, Ephrem who ply his commercial motorcyclist business at
Akwakwuma in Owerri north never returned as he was said to have been
hit from behind by a careless commuter bus driver who was said to have
lost focus while driving and using his phone at the same time.

However, the community witnessed a dramatic funeral as the
motorcyclist union, the deceased belonged to at Akwakwuma, stormed the
neighbourhood of Ndegwu community vandalising and looting property
before finally setting ablaze the property of the widow who is
currently on the run.

The anger of the motorcyclists according to whatSaturday
Punchgathered, stemmed from the fact that the eldest son of the
Ugbuaja family, Oparaku who incidentally is the first son of the
widow, refused to show up to indicate the portion where Ephrem would
be buried.
Oparaku, has debunked his mother's involvement in the death of the
deceased. Speaking toSaturday PUNCHfrom his hideout, Oparauku said,
"my mother is not a witch, all what they said are lies."

Meanwhile, the youths took upon themselves the funeral ceremony,
doubling as a clergy and sympathisers to lay the deceased to rest in
his family compound before the arrival of the police who came to
disperse the crowd.
—PUNCH