Gunmen have killed the head of Ideato North Local Government Area in Imo State, Nigeria. Christopher Ohizu was abducted on Friday and his residence was set on fire. The attackers beheaded Ohizu after his family paid a ransom of N6 million.
It is believed that the attackers targeted those who support the upcoming 2023 elections in the southeast region of the country.
“We are not the Eastern Security Network (ESN). We are not Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). We are fighting to gain our freedom and there will be no election in the South-east,” one of the gunmen was heard speaking in the background of the clip.
A video of the beheading has been circulating on WhatsApp since Sunday. The police are currently investigating the incident. Some suspect that the group behind the attack is the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which have been accused of committing similar attacks in the past.