By Chukwudi Ebele
Tragedy struck again in Oba Community, Idemili South LGA, Anambra State as a young man of about 28 years old, Late Kingsley Okoye died in the hands of thugs allegedly sent by his elder brother, a business man resident in Germany, an indigene of Okpuno Umuogali Oba for removing and selling some doors he bought for his new building without authorization.
The unfortunate incident which took place on Sunday, July 21, 2024 threw the family and Okpuno Umuogali community into mourning because what started as a family row between siblings degenerated to the extent that family relatives allegedly connived with outsiders to snuff out the life of a family member untimely probably unintentionally in a bid to teach the deceased a lesson.
According to an eyewitness, Kosisochukwu Samuel Uzoekwe, a maternal cousin of the deceased, 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 with 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 needs to buy food for himself.
“On hearing that Kingsley sold three of the doors from his building site, Joseph sent some money to her sister Ebele married to an Umumpama man instructing her to arrange some thugs to beat up Kingsley and teach him the lesson of his life,” alleged Uzoekwe.
“Ebele contracted, two notorious Oba persons namely Mr Samuel Arinze popularly called Jukwaaese, Emeka popularly called DPO and another non indigene of Oba called Moon Boy and they came to Okpuno Umuogali to beat Kingsley when people intervened they whisked him off on a bike,” Uzokwe alleged.
“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 Kingsley was brought in dead (BID). When the doctor rejected him, they took Kingsley’s corpse to FAH hospital and embalment center where he was deposited in the morgue,” alleged Uzoekwe.
However, Kosisochukwu Uzoekwe said that the trio has been at large and switched off their mobile phones after the incident making it difficult to contact or reach them after the heinous crime.
In a swift reaction, Ebele (Nee Okoye) who spoke to our reporter on phone did not deny the fact that her elder brother Joseph Okoye that lives abroad sponsored the torturing of Late Kingsley for selling only three pieces of Doors, she rather claimed that she was not the one given money to contract the thugs but Joseph’s fiancee from Umuorabem Oba.
“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 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,” said Ebele.
Reacting to the allegation, Joseph Okoye who regretted his actions said that he never intended to hurt his younger brother Kingsley but only wanted some boys which later included 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 #85,000 each were missing and all fingers were pointing at my brother Kingsley.
“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 Kingsley confessed that he stole those doors with two of his friends namely Chime and Tochukwu and sold them to to a wielder at #15,000 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 Jukwaese 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.
“I insist that Arimze 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 Jukwaese and his boys killed my brother. Wherever Jukwaese runs to, he must be fished out to explain why he killed my brother,” said Joseph Okoye.
