Obeagu Awkunanaw community, in the Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been thrown into mourning after gunmen on Tuesday killed two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, including the state youth leader, Kelvin Ezeoha.

The gunmen reportedly invaded a meeting being held by members of the Ward 3 Obeagu Awkunanaw around 6.30pm, killing the two party chieftains.

Another party member was abducted by the hoodlums.

Sources said the meeting, which was to reconcile members from the two factions of the party, was ongoing when the gun-wielding men, numbering over seven, stormed the gathering and unleashed mayhem.

The Enugu State chapter of the APC had been battling a leadership crisis for some years.

However, all hopes to resolve the crisis during the ward, local and state congresses were dashed, as two parallel leaders emerged at the end of the exercise.

While former state Commissioner for Works, Ugochukwu Agbala, emerged as the chairman of a faction led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, Adolphus Ude emerged as the chairman of another group led by the former chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye.

A chieftain of the party, Mr Sunday Olinya, who confirmed the shooting to UGAMATV on Wednesday, said, “Some gunmen invaded the Enugu South LGA APC meeting on Tuesday evening while their meeting was in progress and opened fire on the party members.

“They killed the immediate past Enugu South LGA chairman of the party, now the incumbent state youth leader, Mr Kelvin Ezeoha, and one other person, while a party member was kidnapped.”

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Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Lawal, has ordered a thorough investigation into the case.

He also called for the arrest of the assailants.

Lawal, who visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday, identified the deceased as Ezeoha and Chidera Ogaba, adding that Mike Ogbonna, alias Okwadike, was kidnapped.

A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, on Wednesday, quoted the commissioner as assuring Enugu residents and party faithful that no stone would be left unturned to fish out the perpetrators.