Two houses have been razed down and properties worth millions of Maura destroyed in Ofuoma community in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State over the sudden death of a youth.
The deceased simply identified as Saturday Eyamekware in his late 20s to early 30s whose corpse was abandoned at the family compound was said to have died from unknown ailments.
It was gathered that youths from the community had destroyed the family house of the Eyamekware following a disagreement on where to bury the deceased.
Narrating his ordeal to newsmen while taking refuge at Ofuoma Divisional Police Headquarters, the victim whose house was burnt, Comr. Eyamekware Micheal said, “At about 8pm on Wednesday, my cousin John Obodoh came to inform me that my younger brother is dead, that is should show him were to bury him and I said to him that you mean all this while my brother has been sick and nobody came to inform me.
“After much questions and explanation, I showed him were to bury him on that Wednesday and left because as an elder to the deceased, it is in our culture that I will not be there for the funeral. But I was surprised when he came back to me on Thursday that he could not be buried because they believed he was not dead as at Wednesday.
“He again asked me to show him were to bury the deceased which I equally did. But to my surprise, one of my children ran to me that they are burning my house and I have to escape from the house and I pull a call across to the military protecting oil installations in Ofuoma but their arrival could not douse the tension.
“The youths who are not our family members, suspected to be cultists came out battle axes, cutlasses and sophisticated weapons told me that if I make any move, they kill me and all my family members.
“I saw one Goeffrey who was telling the youths to burn my house. As a former President general of the community, I did not have any issues with them before now neither argument.
“Even properties of a 200 level student of the Nutrition and Dietics who is my tenant were also burnt, she could not retrieve a single,as she escaped with the only clothes she was wearing”.
When newsmen visited the scene, the corpse of the deceased was left at the family compound as Police drafted from the Ughelli Area command were at the community to maintain peace.
