Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, the wife of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu has publicly revealed the existence of a mass grave in Anambra State.
She issued the statement through her official Facebook page on Tuesday.
In her statement, Bianca revealed that the mass grave had been sealed off for forensic investigation.
The statement read, “The Anambra Truth, Justice and Peace Commission has concluded its second phase of public hearing.
Our Commission, headed by Prof Chidi Odinkalu interrogated a total of 39 witnesses who testified on oath while 243 exhibits were collected during the proceedings.
The commission also met with 31 petitioners, including 11 organizations, 19 communities and one individual during the marathon sittings which lasted from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3”.
“Some 322 persons were verified as killed or dead because of violence as testified by the witnesses while so many are still missing, or their fate not yet verified.
18 persons have been categorically identified as missing or disappeared.
During the proceedings, the gruesome discovery of a mass grave site was brought by testimonies to the attention of the Commission”.
The statement also revealed that the Chairman of the Commission Prof Chidi Odinkalu mandated that the suspected mass-grave site be sealed for forensic investigation by pathologists, as this his will help in unraveling who the victims were and the circumstances of their deaths.
The Truth, Justice and Peace commission had earlier held the first phase of its public hearing between June and July this year during which we considered 24 petitions and met with 48 witnesses who testified on oath from 14 communities of the State within a 10-day hearing.
Recall that the Commission was constituted by Gov. Charles Soludo in June 2022 to inquire into the violent agitations, and restiveness in the state and in neighboring states.
A Bureau of Missing Persons as recommended by this Commission has already been established in the state to document the missing and the circumstances of their disappearance.
