Father of late Uju Ezeilo cries for justice
Tears freely flow again as Ichie Peter Ezeilo aged 76 narrated how her daughter, Late Uju Ezeilo 33, a single mother of Okpo village in Ekwulobia of Aguata local government area of Anambra state met her untimely death.
Ichie Ezeilo who said he was visiting the newspaper offices in the state stormed Nnewi Authority Newspapers office and narrated how her daughter was allegedly murdered in a cold blood and the suspected assailant still walking around free.
The 76 year old Ezeilo who is a security man at EEDC office claimed that her daughter was cooking at the back of her shop in Okpo and some little boys who were playing football around the place kept disturbing her.
“The football these boys were playing hit the pot of ‘egusi soup’ she was cooking, she seized their football and they apologized that they would be careful and that the ball would not get to her again.
“But moment later, as my daughter was stirring her soup, the football did not just hit her but actually dropped inside her pot of soup, the boys naturally after seeing the magnitude of the damage their football has done did not bother to apologize.
Ichie Ezeilo said her late daughter who equally has a daughter who is three years old kept the football with the intention of releasing it to the rampaging boys after she got through with her cooking.
“But surprisingly, the boys returned with their parents, Mr and Mrs Somadina Okafor and started flogging my daughter on what gave her the audacity to seize the ball that they bought with their money for their children.
“Mrs Ukamaka Okafor actually tore my daughter’s hair off her head with the husband and the children armed with all manner of weapons dealt heavy blows on her. A neighbour, Sammy Nwuba who saw how my daughter fell rushed to the scene and took her to the hospital.
“Okafor was still threatening that they will not just beat her but that he would actually kill her for daring to disturb his boys whenever she returned from the hospital in Ekwulobia she was rushed to after the beatings.
“But they had actually killed my daughter. Concerned people who saw my daughter’s three year old child came and told me about the evil that has befallen Uju my daughter, it was in the midst of this confusion that the person that took my daughter to the hospital returned with policemen and pointed to the murderers of my daughter,” he explained.
Asked if he had any issue previously with the suspect, a tipper driver and his wife, Mr Ezeilo said there was nothing of such. He said he and his children have been living peaceful with all their neighbours and that everybody in Okpo can testify to that.
“The news of the murder of my daughter actually shook the entire community and women (Umuada) of Okpo clad in black went to the Ekwulobia police station to protest the unnecessary aggression that eventually led to the killing of my amiable daughter.
“We were told at Ekwulobia Divisional Police Station that the suspects Mr and Mrs Okafor have been taken to Homicide department of the State CID in Awka. They killed my daughter on July 3 and nothing concrete has been done to bring the murderers to book.
Ichie Ezilo alleged that instead of the tipper driver to show remorse, he was busy going round the community to boast that nothing would come out of the case and that his wife who is still being detained will soon regain her freedom.
“I know that they have killed my daughter and she cannot be brought back to life but I appeal to Anambra state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, the Inspector General of Police(IGP) and other humanitarian organisations to help me get justice.”
The 76 year old security man said he has been living in fear as he is not sure of what the assailant of his daughter would do to him and other members of his family.
When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Haruna Muhammed (SP) could not pick his call.
By Isaac Ojo