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A 24 year-old man, identified as Joseph Eke, has been killed by some angry youths in Umueñe village, Obiangwu community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.
Joseph, a father of one, was said to have eaten his aunt, Ms Beatrice Eke’s food, leading to a fierce confrontation from Beatrice.
It was gathered that during the fight, Joseph used a piece of wood to hit the 77 year-old aunt, who instantly raised an alarm that attracted village youths, who mobbed and started beating him.
Joseph was taken to the village square, beaten to a pulp, bound both legs and hands to a tree and left in the sun till evening when he died.
“Joseph and his father’s sister, who is not married, had a little misunderstanding over food. The woman is about 77 years old. She had accused Joseph of eating his food. Joseph, in a fit of anger, fought the woman, breaking her head during the fight.
“As the woman cried, the youths of the village grabbed Joseph and started beating him. While the youths mobbed him, they thereafter tied him to a tree and left him in the sun.
“This became an opportunity for those who felt they had scores to settle with Joseph to take turns to flog him while still being tied to the tree.
“While Joseph severally begged for forgiveness and also begged for water without answer, the youths still tied him to the tree till evening when he started vomiting blood and gave up the ghost,” a villager told our correspondent.
It was further gathered that the culprits had attempted to bury Joseph’s remains before policemen from Umuneke rescued the corpse and deposited it to the morgue.
The police were also said to have made some arrests, including Joseph’s father, Onyeewuchi Eke, who refused to report the incident to the police and others suspected to be involved in the killing.
Meanwhile, the community has called on the police to conduct proper investigation on the matter with a view to apprehending everyone who participated in that act.
The government liaison officer of the community, Comrade Chukwuma Anuforo, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that the police had made arrests of some persons connected with Joseph’s death, while others were at large.
He expressed hope that the state commissioner of police would give the matter the attention it deserves with a view to ending such incidents.
“The community is also making efforts to apprehend the fleeing youths mentioned as culprits in the death of the young man.
“Nobody has any right to take anybody’s life. If you catch anybody committing any crime, the best approach is to hand the suspect to the police instead of dishing out jungle justice in him.
“It is our earnest desire to ensure that anybody found culpable in this whole saga must go in. We trust the commissioner of police. He has shown that he’s a no-nonsense man, who has come to stop crime in Imo State,” Anuforo said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Imo State police command, Henry Okoye said that he’s not aware of the incident.
