Jubril Ahmed, the husband of the pregnant woman and her four children who were massacred by unknown shooters in Anambra state over the weekend, has expressed his grief.
Jubril, an Anambra State security guard, told Daily Trust that his wife was nine months pregnant and the family was expecting a new baby within the week when they were killed.
"They were returning home after she had gone to see her sister in a neighbouring town. The gunmen targeted her and the other four youngsters because they were all wearing hijabs.
I'm recovering their bodies as we speak. I've received some documentation from the police that I'll use to collect the bodies. I'm currently in the mortuary, where they're seeking N30,000 before releasing my family's bodies.
Because the cemetery used by the Arewa community here is already full, my intention is to transport the bodies to Ganye Local Government Area in Adamawa State and bury them there.'
Harira Jibril, 32, was the name of the deceased wife, and Fatima, 9; Khadijah, 7; Hadiza, 5; and Zaituna, 2 were the names of the four children, according to the bereft husband.
"They've wiped out my entire family, so I'm left with nothing." "The government must act because I am so worried and traumatised," Jibril added.
Also speaking, Sarki Kabiru Bakari, the leader of the Hausa Community in Orunba South, said that preparations to transport the bodies of the deceased to Adamawa for burial had been cancelled because the bodies had not been properly cared for in the mortuary and could not withstand the journey to the north.
"We've chosen to bury them on Wednesday in Awka" (today). We cannot travel with the corpses because the mortuary attendant did not treat them and took no preservation measures. He explained, "We have no choice but to transport them to Awka and bury them there."
Bakari went on to say that security officers had been stationed in the area, and that the Anambra State police commissioner had paid them a visit and informed them that they would be put to work.
"However, once we have buried the victims, we will all return to our hometown in the north; we are no longer safe here." The woman's husband will also return to Adamawa after burying his family; he works as a security guard here," he said.