By Chukwudi Ebele
Tragedy struck again in Oba Community, Idemili South LGA, Anambra State as a young man of about 28 years old, Late Kingsley Okoye died in the hands of thugs allegedly sent by his elder brother, a businessman resident in Germany, an indigene of Okpuno Umuogali Oba for removing and selling some doors he bought for his new building without authorization.
The unfortunate incident which
took place on Sunday, July 21, 2024 threw the family and Okpuno Umuogali
community into mourning because what started as a family row between siblings
degenerated to the extent that family relatives allegedly connived with
outsiders to snuff out the life of a family member untimely probably
unintentionally in a bid to teach the deceased a lesson.
According to an eyewitness,
Kosisochukwu Samuel Uzoekwe, a maternal cousin of the deceased, my cousin Joseph
Okoye, the elder brother of Late Kingsley Okoye from Okpuno Umuogali Oba who
lives in Germany earlier sold one of their immediate family property and had
since refused to share the money realized from the sale of the property with
his only brother.
"Since then life had been
so difficult with Kingsley because he thought he could have used his own share
of the sale as a capital to establish himself.
"Recently, his elder
brother Joseph began to build a house in Oba here, so out of hunger and
frustration when Kingsley leant that his elder brother just purchased some
foreign doors to install in his new house he went to the site and sold three
doors saying that he needs to buy food for himself.
"On hearing that Kingsley
sold three of the doors from his building site, Joseph sent some money to her
sister Ebele married to an Umumpama man instructing her to arrange some thugs
to beat up Kingsley and teach him the lesson of his life," alleged
Uzoekwe.
"Ebele contracted, two
notorious Oba persons namely Mr Samuel Arinze
popularly called Jukwaaese, Emeka popularly called DPO and another non
indigene of Oba called Moon Boy and they came to Okpuno Umuogali to beat
Kingsley when people intervened they whisked him off on a bike," Uzokwe
alleged.
"The trio took Kingsley to
an unknown destination where they beat him to pulp. When they discovered that
Kingsley was no longer responding they took him to Sahara hospital Oba where
the Doctor confirmed that Kingsley was brought in dead (BID). When the doctor
rejected him, they took Kingsley's corpse to FAH hospital and embalmment center
where he was deposited in the morgue," alleged Uzoekwe.
However, Kosisochukwu Uzoekwe
said that the trio has been at large and switched off their mobile phones after
the incident making it difficult to contact or reach them after the heinous
crime.
In a swift reaction, Ebele (Nee
Okoye) who spoke to our reporter on phone did not deny the fact that her elder
brother Joseph Okoye that lives abroad sponsored the torturing of Late Kingsley
for selling only three pieces of Doors, she rather claimed that she was not the
one given money to contract the thugs but Joseph's fiancee from Umuorabem Oba.
"I am very sad because of
the turn of events. Despite the several pleadings I and my mother pleaded with
Joseph to forgive Kingsley for selling just 3 pieces of his doors he went ahead
to arrange with his fiancée from Umuorabem who told his brother to contract
people I do not know to beat up our brother resulting to his unfortunate death.
"Everyone is pointing
accusing fingers at me that I was the one who received money from my brother
Joseph to arrange the people that beat Kingsley to death but it is not so. I
went for the graduation ceremony of my children that fateful Sunday only for
Joseph to call me on phone from abroad informing me himself that Kingsley died
in the hands of the people his fiancee and her fiancée's brother called to
discipline Kingsley by Joseph's instructions," said Ebele.
Reacting to the allegation,
Joseph Okoye who regretted his actions said that he never intended to hurt his
younger brother Kingsley but only wanted some boys which later included Samuel
Arinze (Jukwaese) to find out from his brother where he kept the three doors so
as to recover them for his building project.
"I have already tendered
my statement to the DPO Oba police station. My brother has been stealing from
my building site and last Friday night, July 19, 2024 my workers discovered
that three Foreign doors which I bought #85,000 each were missing and all
fingers were pointing at my brother Kingsley.
"I told my mother and
Sister to help me beg Kingsley to bring back my doors or tell me who he sold
the doors to but he denied stealing them. On Saturday July 20, 2024 I now
contacted some boys from Umumpama Oba to beat him and find out the whereabouts
of the doors and Kingsley confessed that he stole those doors with two of his
friends namely Chime and Tochukwu and sold them to to a wielder at #15,000
each.
"While they were beating
him, I was with them on video call that Saturday and they assured me that
Kingsley was still alive. I told them to take him to the nearest hospital for
treatment after his confession.
“Surprisingly, I was shocked to
hear from one of those boys on Sunday July 21, 2024 that my brother Kingsley
was dead. I asked them what happened and I could not configure their story. I
later heard from the Doctor that he was brought in dead and that Jukwaese and
his boys ran away as soon he was confirmed dead.
'My sister said that there was machete
cuts all over Kingsley's body dripping with blood at the mortuary but that was
not the case on Saturday when I was following up the interrogation on video
call.
"I insist that Arinze
Jukwaese who is now at large must be apprehended to tell me why he killed my
brother because I only told them to beat him a little so that he would reveal
where my doors were so that I could recover them but I do not know the motive
why Jukwaese and his boys killed my brother. Wherever Jukwaese runs to, he must
be fished out to explain why he killed my brother," said Joseph Okoye.
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