Posted by CHUKWUDI ACHIFE, Enugu, ALPHONSUS NWEZE, Onitsha and EMMA OGU, Owerri on
THE Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Chukwuma Azikiwe yesterday lamented that family of Nigeria's First President, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe "lost everything" during Monday's arson attack on his Inosi Onira residence in Onitsha, Anambra State.
THE Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Chukwuma Azikiwe yesterday lamented that family of Nigeria's First President, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe "lost everything" during Monday's arson attack on his Inosi Onira residence in Onitsha, Anambra State.
He also put the cost of valuables set ablaze at N10 million.
But succour appeared imminent for the Zik family as Anambra State governor, Dr. Chris Ngige promised that his administration would bear full cost of rehabilitating the burnt edifice.
Reacting to the incident however, Igbo apex organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo strongly condemned it even as the body dismissed as untenable allegation that the crime was perpetrated by members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Soveign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
Similarly the MASSOB has fixed November 2 4 for the commencement of a sit-at-home protest if its leader Chief Ralph Uwazuruike is not released from custody.
However, speaking on the attack Chief Azikiwe who was still clad in his traditional red cap, a pair of shoes and native attire since the incident said that he must have lost everything including his clothings in the arson.
He spoke while receiving scores of sympathisers who included the chairman of Onitsha North Local Government Area, Mr Bright Osemeke and members of Anambra State Emergency Management Agency led by Mrs Calista Nwachukwu, just as the director of MASSOB sympathised with the family of late Azikiwe over the unfortunate incident.
But taking sympathisers round the burnt houses and his car, the Owelle of Onitsha said that the family lost virtually everything in the house worth about N10 million during the inferno.