Chief Pius Okoh, proprietor of the famous Holy Ghost secondary School in Abakiliki, capital of Ebonyi state- remember him? Okoh is, equally, the proprietor of the newly established Holy Ghost University, also, located in the state. KlinReports recently did an expose on the discovery of a killer shrine in Ebonyi state, in which Okoh was reported as a kingpin. Indeed, Okoh (in the picture top left)is wearing a black native dress, and welds a long cutlass. Part of our report had it that this shrine is an evil temple dedicated to initiation, settling scores for members, and offering human souls for the purpose of progress, victory and money making to mention but a few. KlinReports, also, gathered the membership of this shrine is largely drawn from the high and mighty in the state, including Okoh, a one time Nigerian minister of Ebonyi extraction among others.
The lid, it was learnt, was blown off Okoh’s membership of the deadly occult gang by his colleagues because he allegedly refused to provide a human soul, as prescribed to him by authorities of the killer shrine, for a ritual exercise.
KlinReports had promised to push our inquiries further into the existence/operations of this alleged killer shrine, with a view to enriching the story for the benefit of numerous visitors to our news website.
Thus on Tuesday January 6, we had an encounter with Chief Okoh in his private school premises in Abakiliki. Okoh vehemently debunked the story, maintaining that he is a victim of blackmail by an armed gang that abducted him from his school premises in August last year. The gang, subsequently, demanded a N20 million ransom from him. According to Okoh, the blackmailers made good their threat that they would destroy his hard earned reputation and legacy by publishing that he belongs to such a killer shrine. Below is an excerpt of Okoh’s side of the story for your perusal:
‘KIDNAP ATTEMPT AND THREAT TO MY LIFE AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY
At about 12.45 pm of Wednesday, 27 August, 2008, two men, dark in complexion, averaged 40 years, drove into my school and demanded to see me privately in my office. Reaching my office, they discharged my secretary, Miss Christiana Okafor, and my two vice principals, Chief Udu Gabriel and Mrs Amadi Mary, as well as our school printer, Mr. Uro-Chukwu Kingsley.
One of them with a deformed (artificial) left leg flashed a police identity card on me and said he was a Police Inspector from Alagbon (Lagos) and was sent for my arrest dead or alive. Under gun point, he immediately disarmed me of my school two mobile handsets and a third one being my own phone.
I demanded to know my offence but they said I would be told when we got to Police Headquarters, Abakiliki. They whisked me into a one door ash colored Honda Accord car, with Registration Number AJ 353 KJA. A third man with them was seen seated at the back of the car watching me closely. They drove past the police headquarters without entering there. When I questioned they said they were going to search my house. Reaching my house, they matched me straight to my bedroom and ordered me, under gun-point, to get my cheque booklet. I obeyed and was whisked back to their Honda car (well tinted), restricting me from having contact with any member of my house-hold, just as they did in the school.
Driving out from my house at No. 3A Nwele Street, Abakiliki, they noticed that one of the persons they met in my office (our printer, an albino) was following their car. They stopped and threatened shooting or taking him along to Alagbon. I asked the printer to go, that I’ll be alright.
From there, they headed straight to Presco Junction (in Abakiliki town). I repeatedly protested where we were going without an answer, but later they repeated it was Alagbon. Getting to the former mobile filling station (now Pet-Pat) along Enugu-Abakiliki highway, they noticed that our printer (who hired an Okada operator) was still following them. They wanted to shoot him but for my struggle with the fake policeman. They then hand-cuffed me, tied my eyes strongly with a piece of cloth while zooming off with an abnormal speed.
After about 40 minutes drive they went into a track road and later stopped after a distance drive. They led me into an unknown village where we met two other average men (one short and fair, and the other short, slim and dark).
It was there and then that they demanded N20 million from me or they would take my life. “I have no such money”, I replied.
They took me into a second small room where they laid one fair man whose face and chest were covered with a white cloth. The second person who came with the claimed inspector, then flashed an I.D card and said that he was a press man with the Punch newspaper (different from what he earlier told my secretary-Pund Newspaper when questioned of the camera he was carrying).
They brought out a camera and video, and under gun point forced me to hold the legs of the fair man lying on the floor while they took photographs. The five of them surrounded me with the short fair man we met there, carrying a big matchet. They again demanded N20 million or they would kill me and that, in the alternative, they would destroy me and my school by publishing newspaper headlines with their photographs.
At this point, I guess that I had been hypnotized. The experience was like a dream. All I was hearing were instructions from them like, ‘Stand Here’, ‘Hold this Knife’, ‘Look Up’’ and all that. In fact, it was like a trance. When I regained consciousness, I had no other wiser choice than to accept to pay the N20 million ransom, even when I did not know where, when and how to raise such money. They tied my eyes back and led me to the Honda car and drove off.
When they untied me, I discovered that we were between Ukwuachi and Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) (near Abakiliki) along the high way. They asked for a hotel where we were to go. I preferred my house but they refused. I then pleaded for my handset so that I could reach out to a friend whom I was sure would assist me raise money. I could not get the line hence they accepted we drove straight to the friend (Sir Goddy Nwosu-proprietor, Godal Pharmacy). Luckily, we met him trying to drive out at about 4 pm. I went to him while the claimed police inspector closed up on me. I could not raise alarm because they could shoot and disappear, and or get to my house for more harm.
Sir Goddy Nwosu had no such money for me as he said that he had just bought a house at Kpirikpiri in Abakiliki the past week. I lamented that he might not see me again if I left him without any money. He was helpless hence he watched us enter the car and drive off.
They asked what next. I suggested going to my GTB bank manager in Abakiliki. I entered without their usual follow up. Before reaching the bank, they mistakenly allowed me to pick a call from my wife who was already with my son searching for my whereabouts. Fifteen minutes later, they (my wife and son) arrived the bank, questioned about the Honda car that whisked me away.
To my surprise, they (my abductors) were nowhere to be found. On enquiry, the police men on duty at the bank reported that in less than seven minutes of my entry into the bank, the car in question revised and zoomed off and had not returned.
With the help of one police officer (Mr. Chidi Mischark) of the state Criminal Investigation Bureau (C.I.B), we searched to the school, my residence and back to the GTB for a trace of these kidnappers cum armed bandits with their car and even got the assistance of the surveillance team for that night, combing all hotels in the city but all to no avail.’
So long a long story! You would say, but the story of ‘Ebonyi Killer Shrine’ might just have begun with this seeming winding defense of the prominent school proprietor.
KlinReports, as it were, observed some grey areas in Okoh’s story. First, why did it have to take him four long months to come out with the story of his encounter with the so-called kidnappers and blackmailers? But Okoh explained that he promptly reported his ordeals to the police, and did not see any reason to have gone to town with his story, since it was under police investigation.
Indeed, Okoh made available a copy of a petition, dated 28 August, 2008, he sent to Ebonyi state Police Commissioner narrating his ordeals in the hands of his captors, and requesting police protection of himself and members of his hold. Okoh, also, did an update on the petition to the police commissioner on 6 January, 2009.
Again, it is curious that Okoh could not aptly give a description of the shrine the alleged kidnappers took him to. Even if they had tied his eyes, there was a time when they removed the cloth. It is, also, amazing that the kidnappers, who ought to be experts in their chosen p ‘profession’ would just follow Okoh around the town, including a bank of all places, just for him to get the ransom to be given to them. This, as we can see, runs counter to the normal tactic of Nigerian kidnappers who strictly hold their captive (s) hostage until ransom is brought to them wherever they dictate.
Many questions than answers in Okoh’s tales of blackmail, but one thing is obvious: between Okoh and his alleged kidnappers cum blackmailers, one is being economical with the truth. But it is hoped that the truth will, somehow, be told one day.
We in KlinReports are still digging!
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