Suspected land thieves at the weekend invaded a prayer ground in Umudioka, Awka area of Anambra State and beat a prayer leader, Kenechukwu Nebeolisa and some prayer warriors to near death for allegedly invoking the wrath of God on them.


Nebeolisa had invited the prayer warriors to the community to ward off all manner of evils, including land-grabbing, intimidation, harassment, robbery and thug activities in the community.

Vanguard gathered that in the middle of the vigil by Nebeolisa and the prayer warriors, some armed youths stormed the prayer ground and beat everybody there to a pulp, for invoking God’s wrath on them.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the youths, Nnebolisa said: “They said I did not take permission from them before inviting the prayer warriors to curse them; that as those in charge of the youths in Ezi-Awka, I must take permission from them.

“Those youths have been going about extorting money, beating up people and taking over their land. The last time they met me at Aguoye Hills, they beat the hell out of me. I reported the case to the Chairman and the Secretary of Ezi-Awka Youth Assembly and also to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for necessary action.”

 Contacted, Chairman of the Ezi- Awka Town Assembly, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, said: “I have received several reports against the clandestine activities of the group, who even claim in the media sometime to be the elected executive of the Ezi-Awka Youth Assembly.

"During the recent celebration of Imoka, the same group stormed the arena and robbed, destroyed canopies and items meant for the occasion. They injured many.

"A town crier, Mr. Ozoanadimkanyi, was brutally beaten up, his house ransacked and his tenants robbed by the land-grabbers. Unless security operatives arrest them, they will continue to commit all kinds of crimes in the community."