Mr. Nweke Njoku, a lawyer and indigene of Ofeh community in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State, has narrated to The PUNCH correspondent about a suspect who hacked his neighbour to death in the state and how the suspect was apprehended in a neighbouring state.
While talking, he said that he was the Principal Partner of Crescendo Solicitors and Legal Consultants in Port Harcourt, as he explained that the deceased was from his community, Umunwacha village in Ofeh, and that he had known him for over 30 years, dating back to their childhood.
He described the deceased as a loving, peaceful, religious, and respectful man who was not violent.
Speaking on the cause of death, Njoku said the incident occurred in February and was likely the result of a disagreement or threat. According to his findings, a family member had informed him that the suspect had previously attacked another person with a machete, but the matter was not properly addressed by the community. He added that the suspect was a dangerous man.
Njoku further stated that when they visited the deceased’s wife, she was unable to give a full account of what happened because she was still in shock.
Further talking, he said, “The wife told us that when her husband went for the treatment of his leg because he had a swollen leg, the murder suspect, who was his kinsman, attacked and killed him. The victim was taking local treatment somewhere in the community, and on that day, he went to treat the leg.
“Then, when he was coming back on his bicycle, the murder suspect sighted him, ran to his house, carried a machete and chased him. As someone whose legs were not okay, he could not run. At that point, he fell, and the suspect started using the machete on him.”
He explained that there was no eyewitness account of the incident, as only the victim’s young children were present at the time. He stated that when the suspect was apprehended, he confessed to the police that the machete used in the attack belonged to him and admitted to committing the crime.
He added that police investigations revealed that the victim sustained nine machete cuts on different parts of his body, indicating that the suspect attacked him multiple times.
Njoku further said that the victim and the suspect lived in the same compound, somewhat isolated from others, and that no adults were present during the attack. He noted that the victim’s children, who were the only ones around, were too young to intervene and instead ran off to look for their mother after realizing what had happened.
Speaking on the community’s reaction, Njoku said the residents were outraged and did not take the incident lightly. He explained that youths in the community burned down the suspect’s house on the same day the incident occurred, even though the house had been provided by the suspect’s father. He added that the community mobilised to search for the suspect, who had fled the state, and eventually tracked him to Owerre-Nta in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State. Read_More…