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.
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 who killed his son in front of his farm near his compound.
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.”
During the meeting, they said they had heard him and would reach out to him later. After sending two or three people from my family, they promised to return, but until now, they have not. Later, they started asking me to meet the Igwe of the community, but I said, as a monarch, he should know that there was a killing, which he denied. I later went to see him. The Igwe narrated how Okafor Nwaja, who gave my first-generation family this land, and it was my father who gave his father their land.
He also mentioned that his father had begged his father to give his own father part of the remaining land, which he did.
Recently, however, they have started fighting me over the same land, destroying my property, and carting away my household items. According to him, when the issue of death became serious, the Igwe said he was not aware and advised me to withdraw the case in court so that a settlement could be reached. I told him I could only do that if they signed a document giving up their claim to the land, returning the stolen goods, and compensating for the damages.”
“I told him it was not possible to withdraw my case in court before signing the document to relinquish their claim to the land and property.”
He also said, “It is not about money. He offered me ₦2 million to bury my son, but I told him I cannot accept even ₦100 million because it cannot adequately pay for my son’s death.”
He further stated that after some days, Prince Chinedu Okafor came to his house insulting him and his family, saying he would deal with him and use his biro to chase him out of the village.
He also called him and his children thieves. Mr Igwuegbe replied, “You are the one who is a thief and a criminal. You killed someone at Nnamdi Azikiwe University as the transport director before your father moved you overseas, where you were deported. I also told him that he sold the community’s electricity poles, and the police arrested him. So who is the criminal here?”
Mr Igwuegbe concluded, “I want the governor to assist me in getting their hands off my property because I do not have any other place to go. This is my compound. My father and great-grandfather are buried here, and I was born here 65 years ago. I want the governor to tell Prince Chinedu Okafor, who owns the farm where my son allegedly stole turkey and plantains, to take care of the medical and burial expenses of my son, return all stolen property, and compensate for the damage.”
In his reaction, Prince Chinedu Okafor denied any involvement in the beating or subsequent death of Chukwuemeka Igwuegbe, asserting that he had no reason to be involved.
However, he mentioned that Chukwuemeka Igwuegbe and others had been stealing turkey, plantains, and fish from his farm. “Chukwuemeka Igwuegbe is a criminal who goes from one prison yard to another. You are journalists, go and make your own inquiries about him, and you will see that he is a criminal. I am the Chief Security Officer of Awka South Council Area and I have the police and DSS with me. Why would I send people to kill him?” Okafor asked.
He continued, “I don’t care about the press or what they say. Yes, there was a murder, but the families involved are negotiating how to resolve the issue and bury the deceased.”
Regarding the damage to Igwuegbe’s property, he explained that the land dispute had been ongoing for a long time. He said that they began fighting over the land after discovering that Mr Igwuegbe was planning to sell it.
He noted that Governor Soludo and his deputy, Dr Ibezim, are aware of the case and the developments.
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