By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A young man identified as Ebuka, a tiler, has reportedly been beaten to death following a dispute over a ₦200 debt in Awkuzu community, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The incident, which reportedly occurred over the weekend, has ignited unrest in the community, with relatives alleging that the victim was attacked with a stick and machete during the altercation.
According to accounts given by some of his relatives to Awkuzu Podcast TV, the dispute reportedly ensued on Saturday when some friends of Ebuka visited him at his family compound.
One of the friends was said to be owing Ebuka’s cousin ₦200, which reportedly made the cousin to approach the visitor there to demand for his money, allegedly in a manner that was considered embarrassing.
While this was going on, Ebuka was said to have intervened to prevent his friend from being embarrassed. He reportedly assured his cousin that he would pay the money on his friend’s behalf.
The situation, however, reportedly escalated when the cousin allegedly insisted on collecting the money immediately and refused to leave despite Ebuka’s assurance that he would pay him the money on his friend’s behalf.
The disagreement was said to have degenerated into a heated exchange of words, after which the deceased was allegedly chased by his cousin and stepmother.
According to one of Ebuka’s relatives, Chinedu, who also spoke to Awkuzu Podcast TV, attempts to intervene and restore calm proved unsuccessful as the situation reportedly became violent.
He alleged that Ebuka was beaten with a club and machete during the incident and was eventually hit on the head with the hard stick, which made him to collapse.
While revealing that he himself was also injured with the machete while he was trying to intervene and bring the situation under control, Chinedu said the suspects thereafter took Ebuka’s c0rpse into a room in their house and locked him up there.
Also speaking, Ebuka’s elder brother, Chika Anaedo, an Awka-based businessman, said he was informed about the incident on Saturday evening shortly after returning from his shop.
Anaedo said one of his brothers, Chinedu, called to inform him that their stepmother and her son were allegedly pursuing and beating Ebuka.
He said he initially thought the incident was a minor family dispute as usual and did not realise the severity of the situation until he arrived at their father’s compound the following morning.
According to him, he met a large crowd of villagers gathered at the compound, where people were mourning and expressing shock over the incident.
Anaedo said while he was still wondering what might have happened that attracted such a large crowd to the compound; the Police subsequently arrived at the scene with Chinedu who reported the matter to the station the previous day. He said the police and and his brother then took him to the room where Ebuka’s body had reportedly been kept since then, before it was then taken to the mortuary.
He further alleged that the deceased sustained serious injuries during the confrontation, while his clothes were also torn.
This was corroborated by a video of interviews with some of the victim’s relatives at the scene, showing the room and the torn clothes of the deceased.
The circumstances surrounding the incident have continued to generate concern in Awkuzu and environs, particularly given the allegation that it was a disagreement over a seemingly insignificant ₦200 debt escalated into a fatal confrontation.
As at the time of filing this report, the identities and present conditions of those allegedly responsible for the death, however, remain unknown, while details of any arrests or police action were not contained in the information obtained by this report.
Efforts by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, to get the reactions of the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, on the matter, proved abortive, as he was yet to respond to messages of inquiry sent by the reporter as at the time of this publication.
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