“The gunmen left other shops and came straight to my son’s shop… It wasn’t random.”
Onyekwere Kaburu, an 80-year-old carpenter from Abia State, is living through every parent’s worst nightmare. His 34-year-old son, Obinna Kaburu, and daughter-in-law, Ifeyinwa, were shot dead by gunmen on July 24 in Arondizuogu, Imo State. The tragedy left their four children orphaned and a family shattered.
Obinna, a bright graduate of Building Engineering, had built a thriving business after years of hard work. His wife, six months pregnant, was also killed in the attack—a double tragedy that has left the elderly Kaburu broken. “Since this incident happened, I have not been happy. Losing two family members in a day is depressing,” he told SUNDAY NWAKANMA of Punch Newspapers.
The attack wasn’t isolated. Gunmen reportedly killed 28 people across nearby communities that night, but Kaburu believes his son was targeted. “They left other shops and came straight to his,” he said. The couple had survived a previous robbery years earlier, prompting them to relocate their business. But this time, there was no escape.
Kaburu’s plea is simple: justice and support. “I am old. I can’t train these children alone,” he cried, appealing to governors of Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi States for assistance. He also called on President Tinubu to address the escalating insecurity in the South-East.
As the family buries their dead, questions linger. Why were Obinna and Ifeyinwa killed? Who will care for their children? For now, an octogenarian father is left with grief—and a desperate cry for help.