Palpable tension has enveloped Umuloho community in the Obowo local government area of Imo State as angry youths have threatened a showdown over the death of one Ebuka Nwaneri by a hotelier, Ibe Obasi and a security operative for allegedly stealing a phone at the weekend.
Already, the hotel has been razed down by inferno even as the Imo Police command has confirmed the arrest of the hotelier, Obasi over his alleged role.
Police spokesperson for Imo state, Henry Okoye in a statement said “Operatives of Obowo divisional headquarters, have arrested the owner of ‘Our Guest House’, Umulogho, Obowo, Mr. Ibe Obasi, 38yrs, who was allegedly involved in the murder of a 25-year-old Ebuka Udemba, ‘m’, an indigene of Umuokpa in Obowo LGA of Imo State. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was tortured and locked up inside the generator room of the said guest house by the suspect and two others at large, where he suffocated to death, on the accusation of stealing a customer’s handset”.
Already, the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Owerri for consolidation of the ongoing investigation even as he had provided useful information that will assist the determined operatives in arresting all the suspects in connection to the case.
Okoye said the Imo State Commissioner of Police CP Aboki Danjuma had charged the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID to carry out a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the remote circumstances surrounding the death of the victim and ensure that all the suspects involved are arrested and made to the full wrath of the law.
A village source from the community told Leadership that the suspect, Obasi had accused the deceased Ebuka of stealing a phone from the hotel (Our Guest Hotel) belonging to an army officer who came there for relaxation.
Further, the source said the suspect was alleged to have locked up the deceased in the generator house after severe toture to make him confess to the crime.
However, the late Ebuka died from the fumes of the generator coupled with the alleged toture from the owner of the phone, the hotelier and another suspect who is said to be presently on the run.
But in a bid to cover up, the source claimed that the corpse was thrown over the fence of the hotel with an adjoining bush by the suspects which was subsequently found by youths of the community the following morning (Saturday).
The source said “The deceased was working for the suspect and a phone got lost, the phone belonged to a security man securing the community who went there for relaxation. The hotelier and the security officer in a bid to recover the phone started beating him, before locking him up in the generator house inside the premises of the hotel.
“When he found out that Ebuka had died, he threw him over the fence of the hotel to avoid being suspected”. The source who pleaded anonymity said.
Another source from the community, Chimezie who corroborated the incident appealed to the police to transfer the case from the Otoko divisional police station where the suspect is being held to the headquarters to avoid a mob action.
According to him, palpable tension had enveloped the community as angry youths were said to be mobilising for a reprisal attack on the families of the hotelier who incidentally also hails from there, the source has claimed.
Youth President of the community, Chinagorom Cyriacus in a statement, urged youths of the area to remain calm and assured that all those responsible would be brought before the law.
Chinagorom said “We also want to assure the good people of Umulogho that the perpetrators of this inhuman act must be brought to book at all means.
“We also want to urge all more importantly the youths to stay calm and not to do further action or take laws in to their hands.
“We want to assure the people that the leadership of Umulogho autonomous community at all levels are working so hard to arrest the situation more expecially the ongoing massive arrest by the Military.”
Meanwhile, a reliable information gathered from the troubled community has indicated that the State police command has taken absolute control of the looming crisis while the CP has charged the Umulogho community to remain law abiding.
