Fides Media Living the Faith
By Ikeugonna Eleke
The family of human rights activist and supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Kenechukwu Okeke, has demanded for justice over the killing of the activist by his former tenant in Nkpor, Anambra State.
Okeke was said to have been macheted by his attackers numbering seven in his compound, and a keg of fuel poured on him before he was lit up and left to burn to death. The incident happened in October this year.
The controversial activist who had dragged many celebrities and media outfits, including the CNN, to court for defaming President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration, was killed in Nkpor in the presence of his wife, Mrs Blessing Odinakachi Okeke, and his little daughter.
Okeke’s wife who disclosed this to Fides said, ‘Kenechukwu Okeke was killed by his tenant. The Tenant, Chiadiobi, was living in our house, but when he packed out without our knowledge and asked to be given two months of his rent that he left, we told him he should have notified us that he was packing out.
‘My husband was not around the day he came, but I told him he packed out of the house without our knowledge and should not be given back any money. He threatened to deal with us, saying he would teach my husband a lesson. I called my husband and told him what the boy said and that he should not come to confront him, since they said he was a bad boy.
‘My husband later reported the matter to the DSS and to the police and he was made to write an undertaking, but he was still coming to terrorize us. Sometimes he would come to our house and break open the gate and come in and pick whatever he wanted to pick.
‘One day, he came to our house and my husband confronted him, without knowing that he had many boys with him downstairs, and before my husband could do anything, they macheted him and the fuel we wanted to pour into our gen, they poured it on him and lit him up, and that was how my husband died.
‘That day was Sunday and not everyone was around and the few people around tried to quench the fire and also stop it from burning our house, and later we took him to hospital in Enugu, and that was how he died.’
Mrs Okeke lamented that since after her husband’s death in October, the family had been left alone with the burden of catering for his burial, just as no mention or quest by any organisation to take up his matter had been heard of.
She said what was more heart-rending was that her husband’s killer was still in the neighborhood, bragging about having dealt with Okeke, while also confronting her husband’s aged mum.
‘He even recently confronted my husband’s mother, warning her that he heard that she was taking the matter up. He warned her to be careful. The boy is still free, going about and without remorse, and we are just left alone to do the arrangements of the burial.
‘Up till now, he has not been arrested, even though we took him to police and DSS and he was made to write an undertaking that he would not disturb us again, but he has finally killed him. I don’t even understand the police on this matter. I’m confused. The boy is behaving like he is untouchable, and everyone is saying that he is a bad boy and we should be careful. We live in Nkpor, near Onitsha, Tarzan junction.’
Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenganyia, who was contacted, stated that the police were aware of the matter.
‘It is a reported case, but for now I can tell you that the matter is still sketchy. Just give me some time I will get back to you with the full details of the matter,’ he said.
Okeke had been a staunch supporter of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, and was reputed to have backed the federal government and its activities during the EndSARS protest in October 2020.
He had also dragged some celebrities, including Davido, Flavour, and others, to court for leading EndSARS protests in various cities in the country.
He recently dragged Vanguard Newspapers and one of its reporters to court over its title of March 9, 2021, where the paper reported that the self-acclaimed human rights activist was a fake lawyer.
Stop press
As at the time of going to press, Fides learnt that the culprit had been arrested.