New Telegraph

Citizen Angus Okoye finally finds rest

He was murdered over a tussle for town union leadership in 2018. Since then, his corpse had been dumped at a mortuary following a series of police cases. His family became weary while his widow and children waited endlessly to mourn him officially. Last week, Angus Okoye finally found rest as OKEY MADUFORO reports from Awka

Ninety year-old Ma Ekemma Nwonyikwo, Okoye was assisted by three able bodies men to pay her last respect to her 48-year- old son, who was allegedly murdered by some officials of their community, Isuanocha in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Despite her age, she still showed some strength as she wailed without end over the death of her son, raising curses against the murderers of her son. Her son, Chief Angus Patrick Okoye; aka Igwe Anyanano, meaning a King with four eyes was murdered in December 2018 and dumped at the boundary of Achalla and Nawgu towns in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state. He was the President of Isuanocha Youths Association then.

He was allegedly murdered over his insistence that the then President General of the community should account for levies and dues as well as sales of community lands . The then President General, Mr Anthony Onyeagolu, had on several occasions allegedly threatened to eliminate him as a result of the probe and had made two attempts to make bold his threat and even allegedly invited officers and men of the International Police(INTERPOL) to take him to Ghana for alleged crimes but failed.

Ever since after his death, there have been controversies surrounding the police investigation and prosecution of his alleged murderers, who despite being remanded in prison custody by the court were later granted bail and are now moving freely in the country but not in Anambra State. Ma Ekemma Nwonyikwo Okoye was sorrowful of the task of burring her own child at her age.

Her soliloquy was full of curses against the murderers of her son. Before his death, according to his elder brother, Elder George Okoye, he had promised to put up the statue of his mother while alive but was unfortunately never kept due to his untimely death. George lamented:”In November 2018, when I came back to attend my alma mater’s 60 years anniversary, Mama took two of us and showed us a cleared portion where you will mould her image while alive and you made a solemn promise to do that before Christmas. “Where are you to fullfil the promise because mother is still alive waiting for it? “Your six under-aged children are here fatherless. Who did you leave them for? You called and told me that you are tired of hiding in bushes and hotels for Anthony and his deadly gangs.

If they wanted to kill you,that you were ready to die to rest, if that will make them happy. “I know you said those things out of human emotions but the people you were talking about are heartless creatures of God found among men on earth. “I vividly remember in February 2015 when Festus Onyeagolu bundled you to Interpol Alagbon with exhibits of his wealth to hand you over to Ghana Interpol for onward movement to Ghana. I recount on that fateful day how I begged Festus with my senior sister to forgive you for our sake from morning to night to no avail. “I remember his last words to us that day before he left us that we should look at you very well for the last time that we won’t see you again for life on getting to Ghana.

At that moment, emotions ran wide and the youths of Isuanocha began to chant war songs mixed with the sporadic firing of gun shots by the security vigilante group in the town and calling for the heads of the Onyeagolus.

It took some minutes by the police and leader of the youth organization, Ozo Onyemazu Ngini to calm the irate youths . A former Deputy Local Government chairman of Awka North Council Area, Nzeamalu Kenneth Okoye, a cousin to the late Angus Okoye, recalled all efforts made by the family to bring the assassins to book but failed, noting that the common man in Nigeria has lost faith in the country’s judicial system.

“While we thank all those who helped us to ensure the prosecution of the killers of our dear brother, it is important to note that the common man in this country has lost faith in the judicial system going by the sabotage we have so far faced.” As the white sea sand dripped heavily on top of his light brown casket, the wailings rose to a higher crescendo as women, children and the irate youths ran around in search of the murderers while his eldest child-a ten year old son cried to high heavens asking” Where is my Daddy; Daddy where are you?” At the Isuanocha junction, markets shops, offices were closed down on that day with bonfires at every corner of the town while late Angus Patrick Okoye aka Igwe Anyanano was left alone in his own grave waiting for justice to avenge his murderers.

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