FROM ALOYSIUS ATTAH, ONITSHA

At least one per­son was allegedly killed and about five houses set ablaze yesterday at Aku­zor Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, by irate mob in protest over the killing of a tenant by his landlord’s son.

Trouble started when a tenant simply identified as, David was attacked by a landlord and his family for allegedly owing electricity bill.

As the tenant was being beaten, one of the land­lord’s sons, Tochukwu, stabbed the tenant with a knife from the back and the knife pierced through and surfaced at his stomach. He slumped and died.

It was gathered that be­fore the stabbing, the land­lord’s daughter had earlier hit the tenant with electric pressing iron on his face which made him to lose his teeth.

Noticing that the tenant has died, sympathisers and passers-by mobilised into a mob and set five houses and a car belonging to the land­lord ablaze.

Consequently, tenants who lived in some of the houses quickly removed their properties before the mob set the entire houses ablaze despite efforts made by the police to stop them.

When Contacted, the Ogidi Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Hassan Musa confirmed the inci­dent adding that the land­lord has been arrested and case file transferred to the State Intelligent and In­vestigation Bureau, SIIB, Awka for further investiga­tion.

He said the team from his division tried to stop the angry mob from destroy­ing or setting the houses ablaze, but they eventually scaled the wall through the back and set them ablaze

The DPO noted that the corpse of the victim has been deposited at Iyi-enu Morgue, while the police have declared a manhunt for the suspect and his sis­ter that hit the deceased with a pressing iron

As at the time of filing this report, some tenants were seen packing their properties out of the prem­ises under Police watch.

As the tenant was being beaten, one of the land­lord’s sons, Tochukwu, stabbed the tenant with a knife from the back and the knife pierced through and surfaced at his stomach. He slumped and died.