Awka – A Magistrate Court in Delta State has granted approval for the burial of former youth leader of Isuaniocha in Awka North Council Area of Anambra State, Angus Okoye, who was murdered by assassins in 2018.
The letter of approval made available to TNC correspondent in Awka was obtained by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) from the Delta State Magistrate, while he was away on a special assignment.
The late Angus was kidnapped and assassinated on the 16th of December, 2018, following a crisis in the community over sale of lands, that also saw the maiming of many.
TNC gathered that the matter had been marred by a lot of underhand scheming as some of the suspects fingered in the assassination, were still moving about the streets, while the deceased family could not access the corpse of their own to accord him the final rites of passage.
Earlier last year, a principal suspect in the crime, one Anthony Onyeagolu was rearrested following a directive from the Inspector General of Police, after the suspect was allegedly released from custody in the middle of the night.
Speaking to TNC correspondent in Awka on Wednesday, the eldest brother to the deceased, George Okoye, regretted how the court case has been stalled by a lot of bottlenecks, resulting in the delay in his brother’s burial.
He made it clear that the conspiracy that led to his brother’s assassination was beyond the said land matter.
“The land that everyone is talking about at Community Secondary School Isuaniocha, is owned by Umuelom and Umueze in Otoko village and the families having issues are from the same place whereas we are from Ifite isu village. How can they involve my brother in such matter. That land is just a make-up something they want to use to cover up their evil plan to murder my brother,” he said.
On what actually happened, George revealed that his deceased brother’s problem with his killers started when he was their boy in Ghana.
“My brother was working for these people in Ghana around 2015 and because they were close, he knew many things they were doing. One of them who is the chief sponsor of all the problems in Isuaniocha, belonged to a cult where he made a vow that his riches will never cease as long as he continues to cause problems in the community and that has been what he is doing. When I brought my brother back from Ghana because of the way they were using him, they became scared and thought that he was going to divulge all their secrets. They initially had claimed that my brother was owing them 3 million naira wayback in Ghana but when the matter got heated up, they quickly settled that matter and made friends with him again. Unknown to my brother, they were planning to terminate his life and on the 18th of December, 2018, they actualized their evil plan,” he lamented.
George also alleged that his deceased brother as the Chairman of the Youths in the community, was the only one with evidence on the over 400 million naira embezzled by the then President General of the community, Anthony Onyeagolu who is a principal suspect in the assassination.
He expressed worry over the way the matter has been going on in court and the compromising stance of some players in the matter.
“What we are pleading is for the court to be fair enough and judge the case the way it is supposed to be judged. We have heard them say over and over that ‘money will take care of the problem’ and we want the court to stop that language by ensuring that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to book,” he pleaded.
