A butcher at Tarzan market, Chiadiobi, has been picked up by the Police in Anambra State in connection with the murder of Mr Kenechukwu Okeke, a supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Anambra State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, told newsmen on Friday that the state Police Commissioner, Mr Echeng Eworo gave an order for the suspect to be arrested and questioned over the death of Okeke.
According to Ikenga, Chiadiobi, late Okeke’s tenant, was arrested days after he went underground. He had ditched his phone, but the Police still managed to fish him out.
Okeke, controversial human rights activist and supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, was macheted by his attackers numbering seven.
The controversial activist who had dragged many celebrities and media outfits, including CNN to court for defaming President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration was killed in Nkpor, near Onitsha, Anambra State, in the presence of his wife, Mrs Blessing Odinakachi Okeke and his little daughter.
According to his wife, “Kenechukwu Okeke was killed by his tenant.
”The tenant, Chiadiobi, was living in our house, but when he packed out without our knowledge and asked to be given two months of his rent that he left, we told him he should have notified us that he was packing out”.
“My husband was not around the day he came but I told him he packed out of the house without our knowledge and should not be given back any money. He threatened to deal with us, saying he will teach my husband a lesson. I called my husband and told him what the boy said and that he should not come to confront him, since they say he is a bad boy.
“My husband later reported the matter to the DSS and to the police, and he was made to write an undertaking, but he was still coming to terrorise us. Sometimes he will come to our house and break open the gate and come in and pick whatever he wants to pick.
“One day, he came to our house and my husband confronted him, without knowing that he had many boys with him downstairs, and before my husband could do anything, they macheted him, and the fuel we wanted to pour into our (power) generating set, they poured it on him and lit him up, and that was how my husband died.
“That day was Sunday and not everyone was around, and the few people around tried to quench the fire and also stop it from burning our house, and later we took him to hospital in Enugu, and that was how he died.”
Mrs Okeke lamented that since her husband’s death in October, the family has been left alone with the burden of catering for his burial, just as no mention or quest by any organisation to take up his matter has been heard of.
She said what was more heart-rending was that her husband’s killer; Chiadiobi, is still in the neighbourhood, bragging about having dealt with Okeke, while also confronting her husband’s aged mum.
“He even recently confronted my husband’s mother, warning her that he heard that she is taking the matter up, and was warning her to be careful. The boy is still free, going around and without remorse, and we are just left alone to do the arrangements of the burial.
“Up till now, he has not been arrested, even though we took him to police and DSS, and he was made to write an undertaking that he will not disturb us again, but he has finally killed him. I’m not even understanding the police on this matter. I’m confused. The boy is behaving like he is untouchable, and everyone is saying that he is a bad boy and we should be careful. We live in Nkpor, near Onitsha, Tarzan junction.”
Okeke had been a staunch supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari administration and was reputed to have backed the federal government and its activities during the EndSARS protest in October 2020.
He had also dragged some celebrities, including Davido, Flavour, and others to court for leading the EndSARS protests in various cities in the country.
He recently dragged Vanguard Newspapers and one of its reporters to court over its title of March 9, 2021, where the paper reported that the self-acclaimed human rights activist is an alleged fake lawyer.