OUTRAGIOUS! Who murdered Nwachukwu?

Eze Onwukwe Dick (picture right), the traditional ruler of Obete Umuoha Autonomous Community, Obingwa Local Government of Abia State could be described as the proverbial cat with nine lives but he may not escape justice in the present murder of Mr. Kelechi Nwachukwu (26)(picture top left). Members of Obete Umuoha Autonomous Community are allegedly linking him with the murder.

According to sources in the community, Mr. Nwachukwu was shot by members of his self-imposed vigilante outfit, whose membership include Eze Herbert, Azubuike Nna, Aliche Aliche, Nwadike Obi Noah, Enyinnaya Obia, Sam Pius, amongst others on the 11th December, 2008.

A relative of the deceased who spoke on condition of anonymity linked the cause of the murder to a disagreement between the deceased and one Mr. Sunday Enyia a neighbour to the deceased. According to the relative, an elder brother to the deceased pledged some landed property to Mr. Sunday Enyia at the sum of Thirty five thousand (N35,000.00).

But the pledged property has been a source of worry to Mr. Nwachukwu who has approached Mr. Enyia severally to redeem the property, appealing that the piece of property is the only one left for them by their late father.

On the 10th of December, 2008 the deceased came home from his Bonny, Rivers State base and renewed his appeal to Mr. Eqnyia on the same issue but Mr. Enyia vehemently turned down the offer. A verbal disagreement ensued between the deceased and Mr. Enyia.

The source further alleged that Mr. Sunday Enyia approached Eze Onwukwe Dick with the allegation that the deceased invaded his home and robbed him. The source noted that is was on that basis that Eze Onwukwe Dick instructed the vigilante outfit to shoot Mr. Nwachukwu at sight. Mr. Nwachukwu was shot at the security post of the outfit at the outskirt of the community on his way back from Aba. The commercial motorcyclist who was conveying him was lucky to have escaped but not without bullet wounds and his motorcycle was set ablaze.

According to one of the youths in the community who spoke to News World, when it was discovered that Eze Onwukwe Dick allegedly has a hand in the murder because of his stake in the property in contention, which is alleged that he bought over from Mr. Sunday Enyia, a protest was sparked and the angry youths in the community went on rampage destroying property.

Eze Onwukwe Dick in his confession at the Eastern Ngwa Divisional Police command, Umuobiakwa accepted knowledge of the murder but claimed that Mr. Nwachukwu was cut down in a gun duel with the vigilante outfit. He further claimed that the deceased comes in from his base once in a while to rob people of their effects but on this particular incident that he was unlucky as he got wind of his planned activities and had to signal the vigilante outfit who were on the watch out. He also alleged that when the deceased spotted members that he started to fire and in the cross fire by the Vigilante outfit that he was cut down.

But Eze Onwukwe’s claim does not agree with the testimony of the commercial motorcyclist who was conveying Mr. Nwachukwu. According to him, when they were motioned for a stop by the vigilante outfit there were no inquiries from the outfit rather they opened fire on them. He further claimed that he managed to escape into the bush but that Mr. Nwachukwu was unlucky because the bullets caught him in a dangerous spot in the head and that he was later set ablaze.

According to Mazi Onyenso Onyenkwere, an octogenarian in Ngwa land who is knowledgeable in the practice of public execution eof criminals in Ngwa Culture, the murder of Mr. Nwachukwu by members of the vigilante outfit falls short of the practice. According to him, when a criminal is caught or suspected, the first step is an open trial which is to be supervised by the elders of the land. If the said criminals is convicted without doubt, he is sentenced to death. Mazi Onyekwere captured his position this way “the shoddy manner with which the execution was carried smacks of suspicion. There was no public trial and the vigilante members hurriedly disappeared after the execution. This indicates that the action was not based on good motive.

Presently, the Eze and three members of the outfit are cooling off their heels in detention at the state Criminal Investigation Department Umuahia. Two members of the outfit who are alleged of perpetrating the notorious act are at large. The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Okechukwu Ali, in a chat with this reporter confirmed Eze Onwukwe’s detention at the state CID and also stated that the Abia Police Command is investigating it.

Also eze Onwukwe Dick is notorious with criminal activities. Few months before the present incident, he was allegedly involved in gun running and partaking in the sharing of N40billion bullion van robbery loot with another prominent traditional ruler in the state Eze I. K. Nwabiaraije Eneogwe.

What is injecting doubt in the minds of members of Obete Umuoha Community is his alleged link with some high-standing politicians in the state which they claim granted him freedom in the previous case. But to guide against this, counsel to the deceased family, Barrister C. C. Emelogu has raised petitions to the Abia Commissioner of Police, Mr. Edgar Nanakumo and Inspector general of Police Mr. Mike Okiro calling for proper investigation of the murder incidence.

For over ten years the traditional ruler has lost favour with his subjects. They were previously engaged in legal battles, which culminated in the planting of a plantain tree by the members of the community. This according to the culture indicates severing the relationship between the people and the Eze.

In one of the petitions raised by the Community, they accused the traditional ruler of embezzlement, high-handedness, secret murder of the youths of the Community which include the alleged murder of the uncle of the deceased, Mr. Chinma Obadiah.
The alleged involvement of the traditional ruler in the murder of Mr. Kelechi Nwachukwu has provoked condemnation even from the civil society Comrade Chidi Nwosu, president of Human Rights Justice and Peace Foundation (HRTPF) Abia State who has previously called for the re-arrest of Eze’s Onwukwe Dick and I. K. Nwabiaraije Eneogwe in a fresh position called on government to review the activities of the traditional rulers.

Comrade Nwosu’s position was based on the recent involvement of a traditional ruler in Ukwa east Local Government in the murder of two police officers, one among them is Inspector Cherechi Charles. :These men cannot continue to go slot free on nefarious activities. It has a big negative impact on their subjects. The custodians of the tradition cannot be violators of such traditions. It is a high contradiction”, Comrade Nwosu noted.

For Mrs. Nwafor nwachukwu a widow and mother of the deceased, what bothers her most is for the justice to prevail in the murder of her breadwinner, Mr. Kelechi Nwachukwu. But the multimillion naira question remains would Eze Onwukwe Dick command the moral courage to supervise affairs in Obete Umuoha Autonomous Community as the traditional ruler?