‘How assassins killed my dad over village leadership tussle in Ebonyi’

Friday Nwankwuda Nwachi, 26, and his brother, Nwankwuda Ogobuchi Nwachi, have recounted how what was considered a mere tussle over village leadership claimed the life of his 70-year-old father, Mr. Nwankwuda Nwachi.

Nwachi, a native of Amuzu village, Igbeagu in Izzi Council of Ebonyi State, was allegedly murdered in cold blood last week by a group of five armed bandits, who allegedly invaded his Amuzu residence and reportedly ordered him to follow them to an unknown destination.

Friday, who narrated the incident to newsmen in Abakaliki on Wednesday, alleged that the investigating Police team had arrested many people unconnected with the murder before making a U-turn to arrest two out of over 20 suspects, who either participated or aided the killing of his father.

He narrated: “On that fateful Tuesday, we were at home and some people came in and asked about my father. I told them that he was around.

“Later, my father came out from where he was. They left us and apprehended my father and started beating him up. They used a sharp cutlass to cut his face, he fell down before they took him away, killed him and took his body to another compound.

“We began a search for him and we later found his body.”

Friday added that the Police later assisted the family to deposit his father’s body at the Iboko General Hospital, while all the suspects fled.

His younger brother, Ogobuchi, 20, corroborated his claims and urged government not to shield those behind the killing of his father, particularly those either in government or using influential people to pervert justice in the matter.

Investigations showed that the Police had arrested some suspects who reportedly had no link with the murder and detained them until a petition was written to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone Six, Calabar, before a few arrest of the actual suspects were made.

The said petition, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Abakaliki, alleged the involvement of the husband of a council official, who was yet to be arrested.

It detailed that the village leadership tussle had pitched the people into two camps, with a faction loyal to one Clement Okemini Otozi, who was earlier ousted by the villagers, and another loyal to one Anthony Nwite, who recently took over the leadership from the former.

The petitioners listed seven persons as the killers of the victim.

Meanwhile, the Police have been on the trail of the suspects, while seven suspects have been arrested.

It was gathered that following the statements made to the Police by a son of the deceased, who was held in custody for days, that he knew those behind his father’s killings, two suspects were recently apprehended over the incident.

There were allegations that some powerful forces in government had and are still mounting pressure on the state government to shield the real suspects from facing the wrath of the law.

Findings, however, indicated that those arrested have been transferred to Zone 6 headquarters in Calabar for further investigations.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command, Jude Madu, who confirmed the report, said the Police had visited the scene of the incident and promised to brief the press on the arrests so far made on a later date.