Tragedy struck once more in the Oba Community of Idemili South LGA, Anambra State, as 28-year-old Kingsley Okoye died at the hands of thugs allegedly sent by his elder brother, a businessman residing in Germany and an indigene of Okpuno Umuogali Oba. Kingsley had removed and sold several doors he had purchased for his new building without authorization.
The unfortunate incident, which occurred on Sunday, July 21, 2024, plunged both the family and the Okpuno Umuogali community into mourning. What began as a family dispute between siblings escalated to the point where family members allegedly conspired with outsiders to take the life of a relative, possibly without intention, in an effort to teach Kingsley a lesson.
According to eyewitness Kosisochukwu Samuel Uzoekwe, a maternal cousin of the deceased, “Joseph Okoye, Kingsley’s elder brother from Okpuno Umuogali Oba, who lives in Germany, had previously sold one of their family properties and refused to share the proceeds with Kingsley.
“Since then, life has been incredibly difficult for Kingsley, as he believed he could use his share of the sale to establish himself.
“Recently, Joseph began building a house in Oba. Out of hunger and frustration, Kingsley learned that his brother had purchased some foreign doors for his new home and went to the site to sell three doors, stating that he needed money for food.
“Upon hearing of Kingsley’s actions, Joseph sent money to his sister Ebele, married to a man from Umumpama, instructing her to arrange for thugs to beat Kingsley as a punishment,” alleged Uzoekwe.
“Ebele hired two notorious figures from Oba, Mr. Samuel Arinze, known as Jukwaaese, and Emeka, known as DPO, along with another non-indigene called Moon Boy. They came to Okpuno Umuogali to confront Kingsley, and when others intervened, they whisked him away on a motorcycle,” Uzoekwe claimed.
“The trio took Kingsley to an unknown location and beat him severely. When they realized he was no longer responsive, they rushed him to Sahara Hospital Oba, where the doctor confirmed that he had been brought in dead (BID). After being rejected by the doctor, they took Kingsley’s corpse to FAH Hospital and Embalmment Center, where it was deposited in the morgue,” Uzoekwe alleged.
However, Kosisochukwu Uzoekwe stated that the trio has been at large and turned off their mobile phones after the incident, making it difficult to contact or locate them following the heinous crime.
In a swift reaction, Ebele (née Okoye), who spoke to our reporter on the phone, did not deny that her elder brother Joseph Okoye, who lives abroad, sponsored the torture of the late Kingsley for selling only three pieces of doors. Instead, she claimed that she was not the one who received money to hire the thugs; it was Joseph’s fiancée from Umuorabem Oba.
“I am very sad because of the turn of events. Despite the numerous pleas my mother and I made to Joseph to forgive Kingsley for selling just three pieces of his doors, he went ahead and arranged with his fiancée, who told her brother to hire people I do not know to beat up our brother, resulting in his unfortunate death.
“Everyone is pointing fingers at me, accusing me of being the one who received money from my brother Joseph to arrange for the people who killed Kingsley, but that is not true. That fateful Sunday, I went for the graduation ceremony of my children, only to receive a call from Joseph informing me that Kingsley had died at the hands of the people his fiancée and her brother hired to discipline him, as per Joseph’s instructions,” said Ebele.
Reacting to the allegation, Joseph Okoye expressed regret for his actions, stating that he never intended to harm his younger brother Kingsley but only wanted some boys, which later included Samuel Arinze (Jukwaese), to determine where his brother had hidden the three doors so he could recover them for his building project.
“I have already submitted my statement to the DPO at Oba police station. My brother has been stealing from my building site, and on the night of Friday, July 19, 2024, my workers discovered that three foreign doors that I purchased for #85,000 each were missing, and all evidence pointed to my brother Kingsley.
“I asked my mother and sister to help me convince Kingsley to return my doors or inform me who he sold them to, but he denied stealing them. On Saturday, July 20, 2024, I contacted some boys from Umumpama Oba to confront him and find out where the doors were hidden. Kingsley confessed that he had stolen the doors with two of his friends, Chime and Tochukwu, and sold them to a welder for #15,000 each.
“While they were beating him, I was on a video call with them that Saturday, and they assured me that Kingsley was still alive. I instructed them to take him to the nearest hospital for treatment after his confession.
“Surprisingly, I was shocked to hear from one of those boys on Sunday, July 21, 2024, that my brother Kingsley was dead. I asked them what happened, but their stories didn’t add up. I later learned from the doctor that he had been brought in dead, and that Jukwaese and his boys fled as soon as he was confirmed deceased.
“My sister mentioned that there were machete cuts all over Kingsley’s body, dripping with blood at the mortuary, but that was not the case on Saturday when I was monitoring the interrogation via video call.
“I insist that Arinze Jukwaese, who is now at large, must be apprehended to explain why he killed my brother, because I only instructed them to beat him a little to reveal where my doors were so I could recover them. I do not understand the motive behind why Jukwaese and his boys killed my brother. Wherever Jukwaese runs to, he must be found to clarify why he killed my brother,” said Joseph Okoye.
