Army couple killed in Imo State: ‘Dem bin wan kill Gloria pikin before dem spare am’ – Family tok

Afta gunmen kill Private Gloria Mathew, her fiancé Linus Musa Audu (retired), and two oda pipo, di woman sister Obiageli (not her real name) don explain wetin really happun on dat fateful day for Orlu axis of Imo State, southeast Nigeria.

Obiageli tell BBC say e dey painful to di family say pipo tok say wetin happun to her sister no really happun.

Di woman tok say wetin di family want be say make her sister soul no rest until pipo wey kill am face di wrath of di law.

Obiageli tok say her sister and her fiancé dey travel from Lagos for dia traditional marriage rites on 30 April before di incident happun.

Di woman narrate wetin happun to BBC according to wetin her brother wey survive di incident tell am.

Obiageli tok say her sister and her fiancé travel wit dia mama, dia brother, Gloria’s 10-year-old daughter, Linus brother and im couple.

She also tok say di travelling team pick a couple and dia seven-year-old child for Onitsha during dia journey.

According to Obiageli, her brother wey survive di incident say na four gunmen ambush dem on di road afta using palm fronds to block di road.

Obiageli tok say dem order dem to come from di vehicle and na wen Gloria tell dem say she be soldier.

“Dem come down from di car and ask dem more questions and my sister tell dem say she be soldier. Maybe she tink say dem go let dem go afta she tok am but she no know say dem be di main target.

“So my broda shout at her and tell dem say she no be soldier. He tell dem say she dey go for her wedding,” Obiageli tok.

She say di armed men call dia colleagues and dose ones arrive wit Hilux van.

“Dia friends come wit Hilux. Dem pick my sister and di husband-to-be, and dat man dey pick Onitsha with di Sienna too.”

But di gunmen leave two of dia gangs behind.

Di gangs wey dem leave behind attack anoda travelling team and di woman wey dem carry her husband escape wit her child.

Obiageli say her broda, her mama, her niece, and Linus broda no fit escape sake of say dem no want leave Linus uncle wey get rheumatism and unable to waka.

Di woman say dem shoot Linus, im brother and im uncle in front of her mama.

“My broda na di next person wey dem want kill before God intervene. Dem say dey are free and innocent.

“Dem tell my broda to thank God for im life but say dem go definitely kill my sister,” Obiageli tok

“Dem want kill my niece”

Di woman also tok say dem want kill her niece as dem tok say she be army blood.

“My mum tell dem say she no be army blood and she no even be Hausa. She tell dem say my sister don give birth to am before she join army. Na wen dem come leave am,” Obiageli tok.

Dem post Gloria killing on WhatsApp status

She tok say she call her sister number wen she hear say dem don kill am but nobody pick di line.

“I keep on dialling di number wen my friends come around. Dem pick di call and I ask dem if I fit speak wit my sister. Dem say she’s dead and buried.

“I ask why dem kill am. Dem say na sake of say she be soldier. I ask how dem kill am, dem say dem no shoot am. Dem say make I go to her WhatsApp status to see how dem do di killing. Di man laugh and hang up,” di woman tok.

She tok say dem neva hear from di goment since her sister die.

According to her, na only di Army for east she dey communicate wit sake of say dem still find her sister deadi bodi.

“If dem no see di corpse, we go see give am a befitting burial. Even di Army go also bury am in dia own way.”

Ipob deny responsibility

Almost a week afta di video first appear on social media, one conspiracy theory wey say dem stage di killings go viral on social media.

Conspiracists say di video dey staged and for dia tok, dem say di killings for inside di viral video happun for Cameroon.

Meanwhile, careful observation of di video of di killing no show evidence say di audio na fake as di conspiracies dey suggest.

We see Late Private Matthew dey clearly respond to di commands of di voice of one man wey appear to be di leader of di armed men.

Also, di ambience of di video confam say dem no edit am.

Di movements and sounds for inside di video match well-well.

Na one Facebook user, Chidi Calibin first post di claim on Facebook on May 7 2022.

Di post gada 1700 comments and 1000 shares in 24 hours.

Pro-Ipob handles on Facebook and Twitter also share one screenshot of di wedding invitation of di murdered couple and claim say e show evidence say di tori na false.

Di social media users dismiss di tori say di couple no fit dey travel to Imo State for southeast Nigeria on di day dem suppose do dia marriage for Makurdi di capital of Benue State for northcentral Nigeria.

But di family source confam say di invitation letter na genuine.

E add say dem cancel di wedding for Makurdi because Private Matthew no get clearance from di army in time and dem need do di traditional rites first.

“Dem even delay di traditional rites sake of say as per Igbo tradition, dem need check di date to dey sure say e correspond wit di market day wey marriage rites fit happun for di village,” di source tok.

Private Matthew join di Nigerian Army for 2019 and Warrant Officer Audu recently retire, according to di family.

Dia killing na part of di latest for Nigeria southeast wia armed men don target security officials and civilians.

More dan two dozen security officials and civilians na im gunmen don kill for attack for di southeast between January and April 2022.

Attacks for southeast Nigeria

Jaguda pipo wey carry gun inside bush

Getty Images

Nigeria goment don ban Ipob afta dem declare dem as terrorist group sake of di activities of di gunmen wey dey worry di area.

Di group wey many dey call ‘unknown gunmen’ don cause plenty kasala for di southeast region – especially between late 2020 and through out 2021. Dem don continue dia attacks for 2022.

Di group dey agitate for separation from di Federal Republic of Nigeria.

For November 2021 dem bin give warning say di governorship election for Anambra state no go hold. Nigerian goment need to deploy heavy security to di state to fit guarantee safety of voters before Inec fit hold dat election.

Nigeria go hold major election for 2023 and di group from di video say dem no want election.