Principal suspect, Mr. Ejike Okoro,
at the scene where the victim was
buried
Way back in 1996, indigenes and
residents of Owerri, the Imo State
capital, rose up in unison against
what they described as “bizarre
happenings perpetrated by some
criminally minded individuals in the
society”.
This class of nouveau riche took
laws into their hands. They could
stop even in the middle of the road
just to greet their friends. Apart
from having armed security men as
escorts, these fellows and their
henchmen usually pounced on
innocent citizens that dared to
query any of their nefarious acts.
The people continued to tolerate
their excesses until the bubble
burst. This happened when little
Innocent Okoronkwo was brutally
murdered in Otokoto Hotels,
Amakohia, near Owerri, by
suspected ritualists.
Little Innocent and members of his
immediate family never sensed that
danger was lurking around the
corner. He was, on this ill-fated day,
asked to go and sell groundnuts to
augment the family earnings. He
never came back alive.
Owerri residents’ anger boiled over
when the headless body of hapless
Innocent was exhumed within the
premises of Otokoto Hotel. The
people marched angrily to all the
known properties of those with
questionable character and
destroyed some of them. Those who
survived the onslaught quickly
scampered to other states for
safety.
Security agents swung into action.
Some people were arrested in
connection with the gruesome
murder of Innocent, tried and
convicted. Government went a little
further to confiscate properties of
some of these individuals.
About 11 years ago, another ugly
incident occurred in Owalla Uratta,
Owerri North Local Government
Area of the state. Okechukwu Osuji
was murdered May 11, 2001, by
members of a secret cult in a thick
forest along Toronto-Egbu road.
The hoodlums, who call themselves
“Aburu puru ime ihe nile” (a group
that can do all things), went to the
bizarre extreme of carefully
extracting their victim’s brain for
ritual purposes and drank his blood!
Not too long after the ugly incident
was reported to the police, a
principal suspect, Mr. Ejike Okoro,
was arrested. On serious
interrogation, Okoro gave the
names of the other members of the
secret cult as Cajetan Okoro,
Raphael Ike, Paul Njoku, Eric Igbo,
Chidiebere Njoku and Anayochukwu
Unamba.
The other three accused persons
that were eventually discharged and
acquitted by an Imo High Court
presided over by Hon. Justice
Chukwuemeke I. Ohakwe, for lack
of credible evidence to warrant
conviction included Uchenna Udeh,
Ikechukwu Ukonu and Boniface
Okoro.
The interesting thing about this
murder case is that the accused
persons and their victim hailed
from the same village, Owalla
Uratta, Owerri North local council
area. As at the time the crime was
committed, the accused persons
were aged between 18 and 25. It
was also gathered that the police
picked up the accused persons in an
uncompleted building in the process
of perfecting their devilish act.
The investigation was handled with
clinical finesse. At the end of the
thorough investigation, the police
gathered enough facts to prosecute
the criminals, vide suit number
HOW/37C/2002.
At the point of taking their plea in
court, the suspects were told that
their offence ran contrary to
Section 39(1) of the Criminal Code
Cap 30 Volume II Laws of Eastern
Nigeria 1963, as applicable in Imo
State.
Delivering his judgement on June
25, 2013, Justice Ohakwe said the
prosecution had established the
offence of murder of Okechukwu
Osuji on May 11, 2001, against the
first, second, third, fifth, eight,
ninth and 10th accused persons and
subsequently sentenced them to
death by hanging.
The court equally relied on the
evidence of the investigating police
officer, Inspector Abiodun Abioye,
who gave a graphic account of how
the first accused, Ejike Okoro,was
arrested and how he later took him
to where they kept the body of
their victim.
Continuing, Ohakwe said the
prosecution had overwhelming
evidence that members of the
secret cult dragged their victim into
a thick forest along Toronto-Egbu
road on the fateful day, murdered
him and collected his brain for
ritual purposes.
On why he discharged and acquitted
Uchenna Udeh, Ikechukwu Ukonu
and Boniface Okoro, Hon. Justice
Ohakwe said: “From the evidence
adduced by the prosecution, there
is no evidence except the
confessional statement by the first
accused person, Ejike Okoro,
linking the third, sixth and seventh
accused persons with the murder”.
It was also the considered opinion
of the fiery High Court Judge that
the confessional statement of the
first accused person was not
binding on them and therefore set
them free.
What else would one call getting to
hell’s gate and being immediately
shown the way into freedom?
Whether the discharged persons
have learnt their lessons is any
person’s guess.
at the scene where the victim was
buried
Way back in 1996, indigenes and
residents of Owerri, the Imo State
capital, rose up in unison against
what they described as “bizarre
happenings perpetrated by some
criminally minded individuals in the
society”.
This class of nouveau riche took
laws into their hands. They could
stop even in the middle of the road
just to greet their friends. Apart
from having armed security men as
escorts, these fellows and their
henchmen usually pounced on
innocent citizens that dared to
query any of their nefarious acts.
The people continued to tolerate
their excesses until the bubble
burst. This happened when little
Innocent Okoronkwo was brutally
murdered in Otokoto Hotels,
Amakohia, near Owerri, by
suspected ritualists.
Little Innocent and members of his
immediate family never sensed that
danger was lurking around the
corner. He was, on this ill-fated day,
asked to go and sell groundnuts to
augment the family earnings. He
never came back alive.
Owerri residents’ anger boiled over
when the headless body of hapless
Innocent was exhumed within the
premises of Otokoto Hotel. The
people marched angrily to all the
known properties of those with
questionable character and
destroyed some of them. Those who
survived the onslaught quickly
scampered to other states for
safety.
Security agents swung into action.
Some people were arrested in
connection with the gruesome
murder of Innocent, tried and
convicted. Government went a little
further to confiscate properties of
some of these individuals.
About 11 years ago, another ugly
incident occurred in Owalla Uratta,
Owerri North Local Government
Area of the state. Okechukwu Osuji
was murdered May 11, 2001, by
members of a secret cult in a thick
forest along Toronto-Egbu road.
The hoodlums, who call themselves
“Aburu puru ime ihe nile” (a group
that can do all things), went to the
bizarre extreme of carefully
extracting their victim’s brain for
ritual purposes and drank his blood!
Not too long after the ugly incident
was reported to the police, a
principal suspect, Mr. Ejike Okoro,
was arrested. On serious
interrogation, Okoro gave the
names of the other members of the
secret cult as Cajetan Okoro,
Raphael Ike, Paul Njoku, Eric Igbo,
Chidiebere Njoku and Anayochukwu
Unamba.
The other three accused persons
that were eventually discharged and
acquitted by an Imo High Court
presided over by Hon. Justice
Chukwuemeke I. Ohakwe, for lack
of credible evidence to warrant
conviction included Uchenna Udeh,
Ikechukwu Ukonu and Boniface
Okoro.
The interesting thing about this
murder case is that the accused
persons and their victim hailed
from the same village, Owalla
Uratta, Owerri North local council
area. As at the time the crime was
committed, the accused persons
were aged between 18 and 25. It
was also gathered that the police
picked up the accused persons in an
uncompleted building in the process
of perfecting their devilish act.
The investigation was handled with
clinical finesse. At the end of the
thorough investigation, the police
gathered enough facts to prosecute
the criminals, vide suit number
HOW/37C/2002.
At the point of taking their plea in
court, the suspects were told that
their offence ran contrary to
Section 39(1) of the Criminal Code
Cap 30 Volume II Laws of Eastern
Nigeria 1963, as applicable in Imo
State.
Delivering his judgement on June
25, 2013, Justice Ohakwe said the
prosecution had established the
offence of murder of Okechukwu
Osuji on May 11, 2001, against the
first, second, third, fifth, eight,
ninth and 10th accused persons and
subsequently sentenced them to
death by hanging.
The court equally relied on the
evidence of the investigating police
officer, Inspector Abiodun Abioye,
who gave a graphic account of how
the first accused, Ejike Okoro,was
arrested and how he later took him
to where they kept the body of
their victim.
Continuing, Ohakwe said the
prosecution had overwhelming
evidence that members of the
secret cult dragged their victim into
a thick forest along Toronto-Egbu
road on the fateful day, murdered
him and collected his brain for
ritual purposes.
On why he discharged and acquitted
Uchenna Udeh, Ikechukwu Ukonu
and Boniface Okoro, Hon. Justice
Ohakwe said: “From the evidence
adduced by the prosecution, there
is no evidence except the
confessional statement by the first
accused person, Ejike Okoro,
linking the third, sixth and seventh
accused persons with the murder”.
It was also the considered opinion
of the fiery High Court Judge that
the confessional statement of the
first accused person was not
binding on them and therefore set
them free.
What else would one call getting to
hell’s gate and being immediately
shown the way into freedom?
Whether the discharged persons
have learnt their lessons is any
person’s guess.
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