Vigilante Inflicts Serious Life-threatening Injury to 63 years old father in Aba as Family calls for Justice

The information available to our reporter from both family members, friends and eyewitnesses states that the Ihite-Owerri, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State-born man was attacked on Friday morning around 5:30 on his way to work.

It was gathered that the vigilante whose real name cannot be ascertained but is popularly known as “Awusa” attacked Ekwuluo who had initially pleaded with him to stop harassing his colleague on their way to their workplace around Market Road, by Tenant Road, Aba, Abia State.

“They were going to work when the vigilante stopped them. They were searching, harassing the young man he was going to work with and the elderly man simply asked the vigilante at Market Road by Tenant Road to stop harassing his colleague. The next thing, one of the vigilante men descended on him and started beating him up mercilessly.

“Before anybody could say let him be, the next thing we saw was he pushed the man and he fell and hit his head on the ground and collapsed. That was when the vigilante people escaped and the young man with some people around had to take the man to a private hospital around Obohia Road.”

A daughter of the victim, Cynthia Ekwuluo lamented the maltreatment her father suffered at the hands of the security, stressing that such should not go unpunished as her father did nothing wrong to warrant such treatment.

“The Aba vigilante at Market Road by Tenant Road sent my father to a sick bed. My dad is unconscious at Victory Hospital Obohia Road right now. I need justice for my father.

“The only crime my father committed was to stop the security man from intimidating his co-worker. The vigilante guy pushed my father he failed down and hit his head on the road. I need justice for my father. He can’t even recognise me since yesterday,” she said.

It was gathered that Ekwuluo has gone for a scan and is currently awaiting the result of the scan with the family bearing the entire expenses without an arrest of the culprit.

Meanwhile, the family told our reporter that a formal complaint on the matter has been made at the Aba Central Police Station (CPS) and they were asked to come back today, Saturday 8th April 2023.

When our reporter visited the scene, sources said that the vigilantes were employed by the union of business owners who deal in food items, provisions, toiletries and beverages at the Market Road/Tenant Road Markets, but were never asked to hurt anybody.

They however confirmed that several reports of them harassing innocent people passing through the area have been in the public domain without any response from police or any state actor to put them to check.