By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Barely one week after yet-to-be-identified security personnel allegedly gunned down a youth in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, another tragedy have struck the community again as hired thugs allegedly beat a 28-year-old young man to death for selling his elder brother’s foreign door to buy food.
The unfortunate incident reportedly happened on Sunday, July 21 in Okpuno Umuogali village of Oba where the deceased, Mr. Kingsley Okoye, was alleged to have sold some foreign doors from a yet-to-be-completed building belonging to his Germany-based elder brother, Mr. Joseph Okoye, who then angrily sent thugs to torture him; only for them to end up beating him to death.
It was, however, gathered that the issue between the two brothers earlier started a family row, only to degenerate to the family relatives allegedly conniving with outsiders to snuff out the life of a the 28-year-old Kingsley, probably in their a bid to teach him a lesson.
Recounting how it happened, an eyewitness Mr. Kosisochukwu Samuel Uzoekwe, who is a maternal cousin to the deceased, said the Germany-based elder brother, Joseph, sold one of the family property belonging to him and the deceased (who was his only brother) and has since then, refused to give him his own share of the money realized from the sale.
His words, “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 for 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 needed to buy food for himself.
“On hearing that Kingsley sold three of the doors from his building site, Joseph sent some money to his sister, Ebele, married to an Umumpama man (also in Oba), instructing her to arrange some thugs to beat up Kingsley and teach him the lesson of his life.”
Continuing, he said, Ebele contracted, two notorious Oba persons namely Mr Samuel Arinze (popularly called Jukwaaese), Emeka (popularly called DPO), and another non-indigene of Oba (popularly known as Moon Boy) and they came to Okpuno Umuogali to beat Kingsley. When people intervened, they whisked him off on a bike.”
According to him, “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 he was brought in dead (BID). As the doctor rejected him, they took his corpse to FAH Hospital and Embalment Center, where he was deposited in the morgue.”
Uzoekwe further noted that the trio have been at large and switched off their mobile phones since after the incident, making it difficult to contact or reach them after the heinous crime.
When contacted, a sister to the deceased, Ebele (Nee Okoye) who was said to have mobilized the thugs on the instruction of Joseph did not deny the fact that the Germany-based brother sponsored the torturing of Late Kingsley for selling only those doors. She, however, claimed that she was not the person who was given the money to contract the thugs. She said it was Joseph’s fiancee from Umuorabem village, Oba, adding that she was not even around that day, as she attended her children’s birthday.
“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 fiancee 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 by himself that Kingsley died in the hands of the people his fiancee and her fiancee’s brother called to discipline Kingsley by Joseph’s instructions,” she narrated.
Reacting to the allegation when contacted, the accused, Mr. Joseph, who regretted his actions said that he never intended to hurt or kill his younger brother, but only wanted some boys (who later included the notorious 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 N85,000 each were missing; and all fingers were pointing at my brother Kingsley.
His words: “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 whereabout of the doors; and then Kingsley confessed that he stole those doors with two of his friends (Chime and Tochukwu) and sold them to to a wielder at N15,000 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 Jukwaaese and his boys ran away as soon he was confirmed dead.
“My sister said that there was matchet 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.”
Continuing, he said, “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 Jukwaaese and his boys killed my brother.”
“Wherever Jukwaese runs to, he must be fished out to explain why he killed my brother,” Joseph concluded.
Efforts by this reporter to get the reactions of the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, on the matter proved abortive, as he was yet to respond as at the time of filing this report.
