Who Wants Journalist Uzoechi Dead?

Steve Uzoechi, Imo State correspondent of National Daily Newspapers, is one journalist that upholds the principle that the media should serve as a watchdog of the society. Uzoechi, therefore, goes about his noble journalism profession with passion and good judgment. (Picture shows Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim)

But the life of this professional is, at the moment, under threat courtesy of one of the stories he recently published in his newspaper. The story, involving one Chief Zeek Martins Nnadozie of Zeekford Consultancy Services, centered on an alleged N6 billion buy-back scandal in the settlement of debts owed former council officials of Imo state between 1999 – 2002 and 2004 – 2007. Nnadozie and one Chief Dan Okehie of Brick-Red Financial Consultancy Limited featured prominently in the scandal.

Uzoechi, in a press statement entitled: ‘My Life is in Danger’, alleges that Chief Nnadozie is after his life. The press release, dated August 9, 2009, claims that Nnadozie, once, confided in someone that he would unleash assault and mayhem on him. Nnadozie is, also, said to have told a fellow journalist that he was mobilizing ‘protesters’ to invade the home of Uzoechi’s parents.

Uzoechi says the threat came to a head when Nnadozie, in a recent media interview, accused him of having a hand in the kidnap of his (Nnadozie)’s wife, demanding N1 million ransom from him. Nnadozie, similarly, accuses Uzoechi of castigating the person of Imo state Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, through his publication.

‘One Steve Uzoechi of national Daily made a lot of frivolous claims libelous (sic) writings and ranting and made a lot of castigations on the person of the governor. A position he can never, never in his life think of not to talk of dream of’, Nnadozie stated in the interview, adding: ‘It is very unfortunate that such a man who I am also accusing of having a hand in the kidnapping of my wife because he made a very serious threat to me that I should give him a million Naira; that if I don’t give him a million naira that I will see what he and his boys would do to me’.

Journalist Uzoechi says Nnadozie could not identify him in person, pondering how he could have negotiated the deal of N1 million. He adds that Nnadozie asked a colleague for his phone number amidst death threats, but the colleague refused to give him.

Uzoechi recalls how Nnadozie had earlier commissioned one of his colleagues to prevail on him to drop the story in question, but he resisted the temptation.
The journalist adduces several reasons Chief Nnadozie is threatening to kill him. Nnadozie and his collaborators, he says, bagged multi millions of claims in the buy-back deal for the Imo State government, maintaining that, as a result, he (Nnadozie) and his accomplices are looking forward to a repeat in the buy-back settlements of benefits owed special advisers and development Area Coordinators that served Imo State.

Uzoechi is, also, of the thinking that the report filed against the first transaction could threaten the subsequent ones, saying that Nnadozie could not afford to lose the handsome loot, a situation which compels him to adopt any measure to stop him, including assassination threats.

Uzoechi is worried over the death threats because, according to him, there is a pattern of framing up journalists in the state and, subsequently, doing them in. He cites the recent instigated hounding of an editor of a local newspaper in the state by the police on a trumped charge of gun running.


Scripted By: Henry Onu