Jeff Amaechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Mrs. Ndidi Omeh, the mother of 22-year-old boy, Arinze Omeh, who was stabbed to death in Onitsha, Anambra State, and his brother, Oluchukwu Omeh, who escaped death by a whisker after he was also stabbed, has cried out for justice.
Late Arinze was a trader at Onitsha Main Market dealing in cosmetics. He hails from Enugu-Ezike in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State. Tragedy struck when he was allegedly stabbed to death in his compound located at No. 9 Agba Street Inland Town Onitsha on June 11, 2020 by one Babangida Eluamuno, over some misunderstanding.
A grieving mother’s cry for justice
The suspect allegedly also stabbed his elder brother, Oluchukwu, with a jagged piece of broken bottle and a dagger. Saturday Sun gathered that the suspect accosted the deceased who returned from the day’s business on that fateful day to ask him why he used the brooms meant for sweeping the inside of their house to sweep the compound.
The query led to an altercation which, in turn, led first to the stabbing of the deceased’s elder brother who was trying to intervene to separate fight between them and later to the stabbing of the young man on the neck. It made him bleed to death.
The victim’s mother Mrs. Omeh who was bathed in tears while speaking with our correspondent said that his son was killed in cold blood and, in broad daylight, over nothing by Babangida, younger brother to the landlord of the house where her children live.
She called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Anambra State Commissioner of Police to unravel the circumstances surrounding her son’s murder and the attempted killing of his elder brother and bring the killer and his brother who she accused of being an accomplice to book.
On how she got the news, she said: “I was in my house when I received a call by my brother that my son Arinze was injured. I don’t live with them. The two brothers live together while I live in the village. As at that time, I didn’t know that Arinze was already dead. It was later some neighbours came and besieged our apartment.
“It was at that point I sensed there was danger. So I was not comfortable again. I asked them what the problem was because I never expected that it was Arinze again since my brother told me on the phone that he was in hospital and was receiving treatment. I didn’t know that Arinze bled to death even before he got to the hospital.
“I want the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the gruesome murder of my son and attempted murder of my first son. They should find out why the suspect wanted to wipe out my family. I don’t believe the story of the broom used to sweep inside not used to sweep outside. The suspect should face the wrath of the law without any delay because I know that court will give me favourable judgement because it is a murder case.”
The deceased’s elder brother’s account
Narrating the story of his narrow escape, Oluchukwu said that the boy would have killed two of them if he did not run away when he first stabbed him with a bottle on his hand. That was before he went to his Keke tricycle to bring knife with which he stabbed to death his younger brother.
His account: “We came back from the main market where we do business. We were in front of the compound discussing. But shortly afterward Babangida came in and approached us where we were sitting and told my brother not to use the broom meant to sweep inside to sweep outside the compound anymore. My brother said that having told him that earlier in the morning, that he had heard him. He said there was no need of repeating and bringing up the issue again in the evening.
“At that point, he looked at him with anger and told him that it seems that he was mad and pushed him as he said so. My brother asked him why he was pushing him. He pushed him again. My brother held him. But as he was dragging him, I stood up from where I was sitting and tried to separate them from fighting. He ran out and came back with a broken bottle and stabbed my hand. He ran out again to his tricycle and brought out a dagger and stabbed me again on my hand and, in the process cut my vein.
“I became weak and ran outside and he rushed at my brother and started beating him. Everybody in the house stood watching them. His elder brother, Chukwuma, held my brother and Babangida used his dagger to stab him on his neck. Blood started gushing out. My brother ran out of the compound in the pool of his blood.
“I was writhing in pain outside when my brother ran out to come and meet me, completely drenched in his own blood. I started shouing for help. But nobody came to our help. I managed to hold him and used my clothes to tie his neck to stop the blood from flowing but it could not stop. It was at that point that somebody brought his Keke and we carried him to General Hospital, Onitsha. But they told me they could not handle it. They asked me to take him to Borommeo hospital.
“But before we could get there he had lost a lot of blood and was weak and in coma. When my doctor came to examine him and opened his eyes, he told me that my brother has died. I could not believe it. I screamed. The doctor told me that the only thing they could do at that time was to help me put his body in their mortuary. With that they took his body to the morgue.
“When I came back to the compound crying, some neighbours came to console me. They told me that our landlord who is elder brother to the suspect took him to the Inland Town Police Station. I went to the police station and police told me to write statement, which I did. The police told me that they would transfer the case to the State CID in Awka, which they did. So right now, the suspect is at Awka CID but since that time we have not heard anything about the case.
His call for justice
“I want police to expedite action on the case, to prosecute the suspect because he intentionally killed my brother. I want them to arrest and prosecute his elder brother Chukwuma who held my brother while he was being stabbed. This is because if he did not do so my brother would have defended himself and escaped from his murderer.
“I learnt that he had killed three persons before my brother, bringing the number of those he has killed to four. He was said to have killed one girl after raping her. He killed a woman, a boy and now my brother. He just came back from prison over a murder case. So police and judiciary should not allow such serial killer to be alive to continue his heinous crime against humanity.”
Family’s lawyer calls for thorough investigation, prosecutIon
The legal counsel to the family, Mr. Victor Alo, has petitioned the Anambra State Commissioner of Police for thorough and flawless investigation of the gruesome murder of Arinze and attempted murder of his elder brother, Oluchukwu. Alo said that the case which is before the Homicide Section of State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID) needs urgent and discreet investigation.
“We want to officially bring to your knowledge to ensure that the culprits who have no respect for the rule of law and sanctity of human lives do not escape the wrath of the law,” he stated.
Police: there’ll be no hanky panky game
A senior police officer at the CID who does not want to be named because he is not authorized to speak on the matter, told our reporter that the case was being given adequate attention it deserves.
“We are working on that murder case and the suspect is with us,” he said. “We have concluded preliminary investigation into the matter and any moment from now the suspect would be arraigned in the court for prosecution. We had little delay due to COVID-19 and the court. But now we are set to go on with the case.”