John Okoye, 28 and indigene of Umuchibu village in Awba-Ofemili, Awka North local
government area of Anambra State, is now in police net for killing his elder
brother, Osita Okoye, 32, who reportedly beat-up their mother and stripped her naked over family land squabbles, reports ITRealms.
Osita, ITRealms gathered,
was a farmer and first son of the family was allegedly murdered during a confrontation
by his younger brother, John, 28, in self-defense, for purportedly beating and
stripping their mother naked over land dispute with a cousin, for her
intervention.
Their mother, Mrs.
Joy Okoye, 58, confirmed to correspondent that trouble started in her family
when the deceased (Osita) had a disagreement with a cousin whose name could
not be ascertained at the time of going to press, over farmland borderline.
“After cooking
on that fateful night, I was inside the house resting when Osita returned
home. After his bath, I offered him food but he asked me to forget about the
food because he had a more pressing issue to discuss with me. He said he had a
misunderstanding with one of his cousins from my family over a land mark and
that he reported the case to security agents (vigilante).
“I tried without
success to let him see reasons why the issue would have been resolved within
the larger family (kindred), instead of involving security men for his cousin
brother. That was how he erupted and branded me unprintable names. He even
asked me to leave his presence.
“He raised his
voice but I tried to calm him down because it was late already, around 10pm. I
went to lock the door just not to let out our discussion to neighbours but he
went after me and flung the door wide open. I also explained why he should not
fight with his cousin over the land. The explanation did not go down well with
him.
“Before I
could sit down, he slapped me and tore my dress. I ran to the back yard to get
a cover for myself. It was in the process that my second child [John] came to
my rescue. John tried to pacify him to no avail and questioned the rationale
behind beating me. He [John] told him it was late already and that he should
stop disturbing other neighbours. But instead of listening to him, he (the
deceased) ran into the house and collected knife to fight his brother.
“I tried to
hold him back not to fight his brother with the knife, he collected the torch
which I was holding and struck it against the wall and pounced on his brother,
hitting him with the object twice in quick succession. John defended himself by
forcefully snatching the knife from him, which led to a fatal injury that
eventually claimed his life after he had bled profusely with no vehicle
available to rush him to hospital.”
The distressed
mother, who condemned the deceased’s hot temper and stubbornness, said that if
he had not resorted to retaliatory actions the unfortunate incident would not
have happened, noting that it was difficult to separate him whenever he fought.
While appealing to the Anambra state government to intervene in the matter by
asking the police to release her son, John, and allow them to settle the case
amicably within the family.
“... John and Osita are my only children. So, John is now
my only possession. Now that he is in police custody, no one is giving him food
and there is no transport fare to go see him. What will I be living for again
and none of them is married; their father died some years back”, she bewailed.
The police
public relations officer for Anambra state, SP Haruna Muhammed, confirmed the
incident and said that the police will arraign the suspect, John, before the
court after investigation is concluded for alleged murder.
As at press
time, John was still in police custody in Achalla Police division, awaiting
investigation while the deceased had been buried pending other burial rites.
Speaking to ITRealms
on the matter, the traditional ruler of Awba-Ofemili, HRH Ezekwesili Maduagwuna
confirmed the incident but said the Police is handling the case, reiterated the
report by their mother that Osita’s death resulted from self-defense by John.
He also lamented that the community health centre if functional
should have bridged the bleeding and the death should have been averted. He
assured that efforts are being made for the rehabilitation of the health centre
for optimal function.
Ozo Nweke Ozo/GEE
Pix: Mrs. Joy Okoye, mother of the deceased, Osita Okoye. courtesy, OrientDailyNews.com.ng
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