Fides Media Living the Faith
By Ikeugonna Eleke
A native doctor who participated in the killing and beheading of Anambra Lawmaker, Hon Okechukwu Okoye, and his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, have been arrested.
A human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which revealed this on Wednesday, said the native doctor was arrested in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Intersociety in a press statement made available to Fides in Awka, gave the name of the native doctor as Chief Chukwujekwu Onuorah, a.k.a. Egbe-Ejiejeogu, who is the younger brother to famous cultural dancer and founder of Egedege Cultural Group, Queen Theresa Onuorah.
The statement which was signed by the group’s BoT chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, said the native doctor had earlier escaped with bullet wounds when security agents raided his home in Unubi, Nnewi South Local Government Area, but was tracked down to Awka where he was being treated in a private clinic.
‘The arrested kingpin is the blood brother of revered queen and founder of the Famous Egedege Cultural Dance, the 80 year-old Queen Theresa Onuorah of Unubi in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
‘Chukwujekwu Onuorah is believed to be in his 70s. His arrest was in connection with the abduction, disappearance, beheading and decapitation of Hon Okechukwu Okoye, an Isuofia Aguata born Anambra State Assembly lawmaker who was abducted on 15th May, 2022,’ Umeagbalasi stated.
Giving account of how he was arrested, Intersociety said: ‘He was technologically trailed after he was found to have used the beheaded lawmaker’s sim-card to make criminal calls. Even after exhausting the sim-card credit, he completed the calls with his own cell phone.
‘The slayers of the kidnapped/beheaded lawmaker were earlier traced to Unubi where ransom running into millions of Naira (some say, N20m) was physically delivered. The slayers collected the ransom and still went ahead to slay and decapitate the lawmaker.
‘The cell phone of the slain lawmaker was put in monitoring devices during investigation and was found to have been used by Egbe-Ejejeogu to make several criminal calls days after the lawmaker was beheaded.
‘Between the early hours of 28th and 29th May, 2022, the house of the arrested kingpin was raided after he was tracked to be at home.
He made a magical escape after several gunshots were fired at him and he escaped by jumping into a ditch. After recovering several incriminating items, including guns and bullets and his portrait, the operatives trapped him by leaving behind one of his cell phones.
‘Between the late night of 30th May and the early hours of 31st May 2022, the cell phone was tracked to a private hospital in Awka, forcing the operatives of the DSS to storm the clinic where he was arrested alive in bandage while trying to board a tricycle (Keke),’ Intersociety said.
When Fides reached the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, he said he could not confirm the arrest immediately as he had not been briefed. He however said the state Police Command was carrying out several operations simultaneously in the state.
‘I have not been briefed but I know there is an operation going on now. I will get back to you with full details as soon as I can,’ he Ikenga had said.