Police arrest seven suspects over murder of monarch in Ebonyi

Grace Egbo – Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Police command has arrested seven persons alleged to be killers of the traditional ruler of the Umuezeokaha community, Ezza North local government area of the state, HRH Igboke Ewa, murdered in his palace by gunmen who invaded the palace.

The police command disclosed this to newsmen in a statement signed by its spokesperson, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya on Wednesday.

According to Onovwakpoyeye, the arrest of the suspects follows a formal complaint made at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Achiagu Ezza North LGA by the late monarch’s son, Igboke Samuel Onyema, on the 27th day of February 2023.

Recall that the state police command had earlier declared the governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Bernard Odoh and some of his supporters wanted over the killing of his community monarch.

According to PPRO, three of the suspects during their confession alleged that they work for Professor Benard Odoh.

“A petition dated 1st March 2023, was also received by the police from solicitors on behalf of Prince Igboke Collins Emeka and family.

“Shortly, the complainant made a useful statement to the police indicting one Prof. Bernard Odoh and others namely; Samuel Onyekachi Aligwe: Peter Orogwu (one boy), Chukwudi Aliewa (aka Ezza), Chika Ezealigbo, Nnaemeka Egede (Champaign), Nnabuike Okohu, Ogobuchi Agbom (aka Okiri), Nonso Obasi, Ikechukwu Nwoba (Solid).

“In the course of the investigation, seven suspects out of ten were apprehended. Nnabuike Emmanuel Egede ‘m’ 26yrs old aka Champaign, Chukwudi Aliewa ‘m’ 28yrs aka Ezza get boys, Obinna Nwampepe ‘m’ 39yrs aka Nwampepe, Uchenna Eze ‘m’ 28yrs, Nwogha George ‘m’ 29yrs old , Nnamdi Paul ‘m’, Odo Kenneth ‘m’.

“In addition, one of the suspects further deposed in his statement that the suspects and collaborators now at large work for one Professor Benard Odoh as his strong men with a Hilux Jeep given to them for mobility.

“Investigation further reveals that some of the alleged collaborators were with Professor Benard Odoh in his village on the 24th and 25th of February, 2023 where the attack was being planned and concluded before it was dastardly executed.”

Odoh, reacting to the police statement said “they’re desperately out to destroy me but, evil will not thrive over light. We will respond.”

The Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organization, Charles Otu accused the police command of collaborating with the APC govt to rope Professor Odoh into a murder mess he knows nothing about.

“We have read with unsurprising rue yet another politically-tainted reaction from the Ebonyi State Police Command wherein it tried very hard to again rope Professor Benard Odoh of our great Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA who’s the leading candidate in Saturday’s Governorship election in Ebonyi into the murder of his Traditional Ruler, HRH Ezeogo Christopher Igboke Ewa who was recently hacked to death at his Umuezeokoha palace, Ezza North Local Government Area of the state.

“From its inability to obey an Owerri High Court order and another blunt refusal to also comply with an Abakaliki High Court ruling by the Chief Judge of Ebonyi State which urged for diligent investigations into the matter before calling or ordering arrests, the Ebonyi State Police Command and it’s actors in this matter have serially shown it’s biased towards our candidate and confirm the fact that it is rather acting a strange script handed down to it by some powerful forces in the APC-led Ebonyi State government.

“Weeks after arresting some suspects in connection to the murder, we of course got reliable information that the suspects have made reasonable confessions and that the murder was linked to an Enugu State ‘big man’ who was allegedly angered by the alleged killing of his brother in the palace of the monarch sometime ago. We also reliably got hints that the Police were mobilizing for the arrest of some four principal suspects based in Enugu allegedly named by the arrested suspects during interrogation.

“While we all waited for the usual conclusion of investigations and arrests so that the suspects can be customarily paraded and interviewed by the media, the Police now came public with this jaundiced press statement. For us, this is merely trying to divert the attention of the unsuspecting members of the public from the real issues it may have uncovered in the murder.”

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