younger sibling.
group to apparently dislodge the boys of their younger brother
Nkeonyere from the park.
between the three siblings started in February when another innocent
passer-by was also hit by a stray bullet when the siblings also clashed.
But it was learnt that Nkeonyere Agubata had spent his personal money
to treat the gunshot victim to save his life.It was further learnt that the two elder brothers, who allegedly have
the backing of another local strongman (names withheld), were not
comfortable with their younger brother’s control of the motor park.
With
the ardent backing of the local strongman, Ozioma and Ozoemena stormed
the park with a horde of thugs and about 40 policemen led by the Area
Commander who promptly arrested some of the boys working for Nkeonyere.
Recounting what led to the tragic death of Mr Enewrem, a source told Sunday Sun:
“The battle over the
park by the three siblings of the same parents began last Sunday (May
14) when Ozioma and Ozoemena with their boys came with about 40
policemen led by the Area Commander and arrested Chukwuebuka Amadi,
Onyemauche Mba, Uchechukwu Okafor, Chinedu Okafor and Abraham who work
for Nkeonyere at the park. After, the police had taken them away Ozioma
and Ozoemena then put their boys at the park. But when the police left,
Nkeonyere returned to the park with more of his boys and sacked the boys
of his elder brothers from the park and took effective control.”
On her part, the wife of the embattled chairman of the motor park, Mrs.
Chiamaka Nkeonyere Agubata disclosed to Sunday Sun that in the early
morning of Friday, the two elder brothers came to their house with armed
policemen to arrest her husband.
“Around 5 am on Friday, Ozioma and Ozoemena came with armed
policemen to our house and asked for my husband. I told them that he had
travelled but they forcefully entered the house and after searching the
entire house they did not show me whatever they took. But before
leaving the policemen gave me a written note that my husband should
report to the SCID as requested by the state Commissioner of Police, but
when my husband returned from his trip he discovered that some money he
kept in his room was missing.”
She further revealed that one of their neighours had alerted them last
Sunday morning that armed policemen in five Toyota Hilux vans who were
accompanied by Ozioma and Ozoemena and their boys had already surrounded
their house.
“When I received the call from our neighour I told
my husband because we had already left for the market at Amaifeke at
Banana Junction but as Ozioma sighted him around the market he rushed at
him and tried to hold him so that the police would be able to bundle
him into their van but as my husband was struggling to free himself from
the grip of his brother, the leader of the police team ordered that he
be shot and as one of the policemen opened fire, my husband was lucky to
slip out of his hands and managed to dodge the bullet which hit
Remigius Enwerem, who was just passing. But instead of the policemen to
assist the victim they all fled and abandoned him in his pool of blood.
It was later when my husband came back that he tried to rush him to the
Imo State University Teaching Hospital but he died on the way and his
body was later deposited at the mortuary.”
When he spoke with Sunday Sun, Nkeonyere alleged that his elders
brothers were being sponsored by the local strongman, who is being
driven by greed. He implored the Inspector General of Police, the Imo
State governor and the Commissioner of Police to save him from being
killed as his life is under threat.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris
Ezike, who confirmed that the National Union of Road Transport
Workers had a problem at the park, said that the Area commander of Orlu
had already made some arrest and the matter was being investigated
by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
However, he claimed that
nobody was killed and that peace had been restored to the motor park.