Man beaten to death over alleged plantain, turkey theft in Anambra
A 26-year-old Chukwuemeka Igwuegbe has been beaten to death for allegedly stealing plantain and turkey in Anambra State.
The incident occurred at Ezinife Village, Okpuno, in Awka South Local Government Area of the state on October 22nd, 2024.
According to the father of the deceased, Mr Gilbert Igwuegbe, who disclosed this to journalists at his residence in Okpuno community on Saturday, he alleged that his son was killed under the directive of the Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area, Hon Prince Chinedu Okafor, over a prolonged land dispute.
He alleged that he was also beaten to stupor while trying to inquire why they were beating his son in his presence.
Moved by the pain and agony he suffered, Mr Igwuegbe, a farmer, petitioned Anambra State Governor Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, his deputy Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Anambra, and the State Commissioner of Police in a petition titled “Petition on the Murder of Chukwuemeka Igwuegbe at Ezinife Village, Okpuno, Anambra State.”
The petition named the following individuals – Chukwunoso Benjamin Obidunma (aka Stamina), Obumneme Benjamin Obidunma (aka Ite Igwe), Izuchukwu Obidunma, Obiora Nwoye Obidunma, Mmorah Okeke, Ikechukwu Okeke, and Chinwendu Okoye – as those responsible for the death of his son.
In the petition, his lawyer, Mr Victor Momodu, accused the Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area, Hon Prince Chinedu Okafor, of sending the men to kill his son.
According to the petition, Mr Igwuegbe was returning from his farm on October 22nd, 2024, when he saw the men in front of his compound beating his son, late Chukwuemeka. When he asked why they were beating his son, one of them, Obumneme Benjamin Obidunma, slapped him and claimed that his son had stolen a turkey and plantains from a farm belonging to one Prince Chinedu Okafor.
The petition further stated that Mr Igwuegbe told them to take his son to the police if he had indeed stolen anything, but instead, they continued to beat him until he lost consciousness.
He demanded that they show what his son had stolen, but they could not provide any evidence.
“After our client’s son became unconscious, one of the boys, named Nonso Obidunma, slapped our client and claimed that his son had stolen a turkey and plantains from Prince Chinedu Okafor’s farm. At this point, our client told them to take his son to the police station, but they instead began to beat him as well and continued to beat his son until he became unconscious. Afterward, one of the boys, Nonso Obidunma, took his phone and made a call, saying they had completed the task. Our client heard the voice of Prince Chinedu Okafor during the call. Then, two security guards arrived, examined our client’s son, and called Prince Okafor to say, ‘The job is perfectly done.”
In an attempt to save his son, our client took him, boarded a tricycle, and headed to the hospital. Unfortunately, his son stopped breathing on the way and was brought back to his compound. Our client reported the incident to the B Division Police, where he made a report to Officer Osumond, the IPO,” the petition stated.
The petition further claimed that the Igwuegbe family has been constantly threatened and harassed by Prince Chinedu Okafor’s family. The petition states that the named individuals have repeatedly come to the Igwuegbe compound, destroyed his property, chased away tenants, broken his fence, sold his gate, broken his borehole, and stolen household items such as rugs, a TV, a bed, a generator, a decoder, and a set of chairs.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Gilbert Igwuegbe, in tears, said that the family of Chinedu Okafor has been terrorising his family for years over a land dispute.
According to him, Prince Chinedu Okafor, the Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, sent the men who killed his son under the pretext that his son had stolen plantains and a turkey.
In tears, Mr Igwuegbe said his son was beaten to death in front of his house, and he could do nothing to save him because some people believe he is nobody.
He accused the Okafor family of being responsible for his son’s death, noting that after petitioning the authorities in Abuja, they began to beg for a settlement.
He said, “Prince Chinedu Okafor came here with Pastor Joel Akpata, a lawyer, and another man from Abuja, and we agreed to make peace. I told them that they should bring the killers of my son to beg and admit that they killed him. If those people come to beg me, I will be satisfied, knowing that at least the killers have accepted their actions.”
