police sergeant on Sunday, December 27, at Uruagu Nnewi, during the
traditional wedding of the daughter of the in-law of his friend and
business associate.
Sam was killed three days to his church
wedding, which would have been held last Wednesday, December 30, 2015.
If a soothsayer had told him that he would die before the scheduled
wedding day, he probably would have reported the seer to the police for
investigation.
As Sunday Sun reporter gathered from Chief Dim, Sam was virtually ready
for his wedding. As at the time Sunday Sun visited, the cow he bought
for the wedding was still tied to a tree in the large family compound.
He had distributed the wedding invitation cards to relations, friends
and well wishers far and near, hired a live band, concluded
arrangements with the clergy and done other things to ensure that the
wedding would be colourful and memorable.With a sorrowful heart
and shaky voice, Chief Dim narrated that his son’s best man, Mr Martin
Afusi and other friends who came all the way from Ghana had arrived
Sam’s home in Osumenyi only to be told that he was dead.
When he spoke with Sunday Sun reporter, Afusi said Sam had actually
called him earlier in the day as he and the other friends from Ghana
were about to leave for Nigeria, and wished them journey mercies,
assuring them that the wedding arrangements were all in order.
Sam
arrived Osumenyi, Nnewi to receive the heart-breaking news that his
bosom friend and business partner was lying stone-dead in the mortuary.
Recounting
what happened on the fateful day, Sam’s father, Chief Dim said he
returned from church service and met his late son’s friend washing Sam’s
car and at the same time sipping a drink.
Then Sam got a call. As he narrated, the caller reminded his son to
attend the traditional wedding of his in-law’s daughter. He said that
Sam informed the person, who happened to be one of his business partners
identified simply as Eloka, that he was busy with preparations for his
wedding and requested that he should be excused.But Eloka,
according Chief Dim, was insistent and pressed on his son to attend the
traditional wedding. Sam eventually agreed to show up at the event and
requested one of his siblings to accompany him, but the sibling
declined. Sam eventually attended the traditional wedding with another
friend, Sunday Oguego.
about to sit down under a canopy set up outside for guests, a mobile
police sergeant just pointed his gun at Sam and shot him. The bullet
went through his heart and exited from the back.
At the sound of
the gunshot, everybody scampered for safety, including Eloka, who
invited Sam to the event. It was only Oguego who summoned the courage
and began shouting for help when Sam slumped.
As the bullet
exited through Sam’s back, it hurt another person, who miraculously
survived, and was said to have responded to treatment in a hospital.
Chief Dim has been unrelenting in demanding that the police fish out the
sergeant and put on him on trial. Also, he wants the police to properly
investigate the circumstances that led to the death of his son.Chief
Dim also said that his family was infuriated that Eloka, who invited
his son to the event where he died, took two days to come and tell the
deceased family what happened to his friend, who he invited to a
wedding.He said Eloka eventually visited the family on
Wednesday, December 30, the day, Sam was supposed to wedded, to condole
with the family.
Chief Dim lamented the way police and other security agents were
allowed to carry guns freely at ceremonies. He charged the Inspector
General of Police to look into this anomaly, querying: “Why should the
number of police escorts at many events be more than the number of
invited guests?”
He also recounted how the family in 2010 lost
one of their illustrious sons, Obiajulu, a businessman, who was
kidnapped. Even after the family paid N12million ransom to his
abductors, he was still killed.
Since the tragic incident
happened, the Sam’s would-be-bride has been inconsolable. At the
family home of her late groom, she has been speechless and downcast.