THE people of Obodogba community Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, were thrown into mourning over the weekend, as a 21- year- old woman, Isioma Nwayalani, was killed by a stray bullet fired by a member of the community’s Anti-Cult Volunteer Corps.
The incident happened at about 7:00 pm on Saturday close to the Anti-Cult office located at Ugoani palace road in Okpanam.
In a chat with The Pointer, a colleague of the deceased, Miss Victory Okoyo, explained that she and late Isioma were returning to the patent medicine shop where they work from an occasion, when they sighted the Anti-Cult vehicle carrying their members who went for a burial somewhere and they decided to run for safety because of fear that they are likely to fire shots indiscriminately, which they do most of the time.
Victory noted that while they were running, a member of the Anti-Cult group fired a shot before he could even come down from the vehicle and before she knew what was happening, Isioma felled to the ground bleeding.
She said the Anti-Cult member who fired the shot, quickly rushed and picked her up and some of his colleagues joined him to rush her to Asaba Specialists Hospital where she was later confirmed dead.
According to her, the bullet pierced through her hand and entered her lower abdomen.
Speaking to our correspondent, the owner of the patent medicine shop, located at the ground floor of the story building where the Anti-Cult office is situated, Mrs. Tessy Obaro, said the late Isioma, though not on duty on the fateful day, came to make her hair close to the shop.
She said Isioma followed Victory Okoyo to meet her where one of her friends who owns a medicine store was registering a new apprentice and that it was when they left the place on their way to her shop the incident happened.
An uncle to the deceased, Dr. Chris Nwayalani accompanied our correspondent to the house of a member of the Anti-Cult group who witnessed the incident, but before we could get to his house, he declined meeting with us, explaining he was in distress and can only speak later in the day. A visit to the house of the Chairman of the Anti-Cult group Okpanam, Mr. Stephen Ogbangwo did not yield any result as the wife informed our correspondent that he was not around.
Meanwhile, in a telephone chat with the Delta State Police Command spokesman, Supol Bright Edafe, he confirmed that the Command is aware of the incident.
