CRIME NEWS

Ritualists: He said his people will bury me alive if i reveal them

By Chinenyeh Ozor, Nsukka

A GROUP of people suspected to specialize in ritual killings at Umuezike-Aku community in Igbo-Etiti local government area, Enugu state, have allegedly hacked one Daniel Ezeagu to death in the community. Crime Alert gathered that members of the killer-group that committed the crime, last week, were caught by detectives attached to Aku police station, assisted  by members of the neighbourhood watch.  The suspects were rounded up while trying to escape from the scene of the crime by securitymen on patrol.

Eyewitness account: An eye-witness, Peter Nwaizu, who caught one of the killers while fleeing from the scene shortly after the ritual killing said he was at alert on patrol around 5am when he saw one of his relations, Ugonna Nwazi (a.k.a Group), and he suspected danger after noticing his blood-stained cloth. According to the witness, he confronted the suspect after raising alarm and insisted that he should explain how he got bloodstains on his dress.

“Shockingly, Ugonna disclosed to me confidentially that they killed one man from Umudiewa Ohemuje village in Aku community. He pleaded with me to cover them so that relations of the victim will not know they killed their kinsman for ritual. I shouted and more people came out including some of his accomplices in the heinous crime. As I was making moves to call my vigilante colleagues to hand him over to the Police, one of the perpetrators of the killing, simply identified as Amadi Jude (a.k.a Onwa), told me in front of everyone that if anything happens to the first suspect, his people will bury me alive.

Ritualkilling

That was when it dawned on me that it was a planned ritual killing and the people behind it were influential people from that village,” he explained. The witness noted that he had no option than to report to some people in Ohemuje village where the victim hailed from and also, informed colleagues in the neighbourhood watch of what has happened.

“I also pointed out that the culprit, Ugonna, named his accomplices,” he stated. Crime Alert gathered that based on this development, the alleged killer-group immediately convened a meeting to discuss how to save the suspects and cover their tracks.

Palm wine tapper’s

account

Meanwhile, a palm wine tapper who pleaded anonymity confided in Crime Alert that he saw when some people were taking the remains of the slain Daniel to deposit at Ohemuje village around 5 a.m. to cover the killing at Umuezike but suddenly dropped the corpse immediately they sighted his motorcycle headlights and took to their heels. According to him: “I saw when they carried his body, perhaps to dump at Ohemuje village which is just a stone’s throw from where the man was murdered but when they saw light from my motorcycle, they took to their heels and I was unable to recognise any of them,” the tapper said.

First suspect, Peter Nwaizu arrested

It was learnt that when relations of the deceased Daniel Ezeagu from Ohemuje community heard news of the killing of their kinsman, they made straight to the police who in turn arrested the eyewitness, Peter, and some members of his household as the first prime suspects, being the only one that saw the first suspect with blood-stained dress.

Visit to scene of incident: It was gathered that detectives that visited the scene of the incident revealed that the deceased was brutally hacked to death.

They also discovered that his killers had cut his hair and beard, while his testicles were also chopped off. The deceased who was known for his unkempt beard was said to be on his way to Adada farm where majority of his people go to farm when he met his untimely death.

His remains has been deposited at Attah Memorial Hospital mortuary by police men from Igbo-Etiti Division, while some arrests had been made.  The suspects wer subsequently taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department, (CID), Enugu for further investigation.  However, one of the suspected killers, said to be a popular transporter was said to be at large.

Community appeals to deceased’s kinsmen: Meanwhile, people of Umudiewa Ohemuje community where the suspected killers hail from have appealed to the kinsmen of the slain farmer to sheathe their swords, admitting that their compatriots killed their kinsman and must be fished out and handed over to the police for prosecution. Speaking through one Mr. Patrick Ugwu, the community also appealed to security agents to stop massive arrests of people in their community, assuring that they are making frantic efforts to fish out the fleeing suspects.

In his words, “we are deeply sorry for what happened. It is true that our people killed Daniel Ezeagu and we are promising you people that we must fish them out and hand them over to the police for prosecution. We are begging you people to calm your anger and allow us follow the case to a logical conclusion with the perpetrators being brought to book to face the wrath of the law,” Ugwu said.

Wrath ofthe law

Attempts made to reach the traditional ruler of Ihekwuenu Autonomous Community, HRH, Igwe C.E.O. Okwor and Ihekwuenu Town Union President, Prof. GCE Mbah, where the incident occurred was futile as calls put across to them went unanswered.

Police reacts: However, the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O) in charge of Igbo-Etiti Police division, Ogbede, Itam John, confirmed the incident and the arrest of some of the suspects.  He also urged the public not to panic as the police operatives in the division will definitely catch the fleeing suspect and others connected with the barbaric killing in the area.”We have made some arrests and the people have been moved to State CID, Enugu. Some of them have confessed killing the man in defence claiming he attacked them first while others are still accusing Peter, the first witness, as the person that killed him,” the D.P.O said.