Itaja people of Olokoro Umuahia South
local council of Abia State were stunned at the kind of tragedy they witnessed
on Friday. It was a sordid story of bottles of boose, blood, debt and death,
and the total sum in contention was N200! A bricklayer, Ugochukwu Ekwurike, who
went to a local pub to cool off with some bottles of beer after a hard day’s
job, could not get home alive as he was stabbed to death over a N200 he lent to
his debtor.
Mr Ekwurike 37, from Amuzu village, in Olokoro was said to have drawn the anger of his assailant, Tochukwu Azuonye, when he refused to buy him a bottle of drink as he had allegedly bought for some other friends in the bar.
Mr. Azuonye, popularly known in the area as 'Tobinto', was said to have felt insulted and demanded from the deceased the trowel he had given to him as a collateral for the N200 he lent to him, as according to him, he could use it as collateral elsewhere, to borrow from another creditor to buy some drinks.
It was gathered that the issue degenerated to a hot exchange of words. The deceased argued that as the creditor, he was not expected to return the collateral when the N200 principal has not been paid and accused Tobinto of being ungrateful.
Narrating the incident to The Nigerian Compass on Sunday in Umuahia, Mr. Uche Ekwurike, elder brother to slain Ugochukwu, said that according to eye witness, a fight ensued, and Tobito, now on the run, broke a bottle and stabbed Ugochukwu ferociously on the arm, which eventually led to his death.
“I came back from work that Friday evening to find a crowd in our compound. My mother who was crying uncontrollably, rushed to me and informed me that my brother had been stabbed to death by Tobinto in a bar at Itaja village. When I got there the place had been deserted and what I saw was a pool of blood from the wound my brother sustained upon the stab,’’ he said.
He said that his brother had lent N200 to his killer, Azuonye, who gave him a trowel as a collateral and had promised to take it back when he repays the said sum. But he had not repaid the amount he borrowed before demanding for it.
According to the deceased's brother, it was when every person, including the assailant, had fled the scene, that a concerned citizen named IK, took the victim to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia where he latter died after the doctors had made frantic efforts to save his life.
He said that it was worrisome that his brother was killed by somebody whom he lent N200 to bail him out of a problem he had.
Mr Ekwurike said he promptly reported the matter to Ubakala Divisional Police Headquarters from where the case has been taken to the State Crime Investigation Department, Umuahia for investigation.
Also speaking on the incident, father of late Ugochukwu, Pa Andrew Ekwurike mourned the death. He described his late son as an enterprising youngman.
He disclosed that yesterday, the kinsmen to the assailant, sent emissaries to him with the assurance to fish out Tobinto. “But regrettably, when they returned, they came without him.”
He described as disheartening the attitude of those who were in the bar drinking when the incident happened as they fled the scene without apprehending the killer of his son or even attempting to rescue his son from bleeding to death.
When contacted the Public Relations Office of Abia State Police Command, ASP Jonathan Amechi, said they were yet to get the report from the Police Divisional headquarters in Ubakala. But a senior police officer at the state's CID who would not want his name published, confirmed that the incident has been reported to the CID and that the owner of the bar was helping them in their investigation.
Mr Ekwurike 37, from Amuzu village, in Olokoro was said to have drawn the anger of his assailant, Tochukwu Azuonye, when he refused to buy him a bottle of drink as he had allegedly bought for some other friends in the bar.
Mr. Azuonye, popularly known in the area as 'Tobinto', was said to have felt insulted and demanded from the deceased the trowel he had given to him as a collateral for the N200 he lent to him, as according to him, he could use it as collateral elsewhere, to borrow from another creditor to buy some drinks.
It was gathered that the issue degenerated to a hot exchange of words. The deceased argued that as the creditor, he was not expected to return the collateral when the N200 principal has not been paid and accused Tobinto of being ungrateful.
Narrating the incident to The Nigerian Compass on Sunday in Umuahia, Mr. Uche Ekwurike, elder brother to slain Ugochukwu, said that according to eye witness, a fight ensued, and Tobito, now on the run, broke a bottle and stabbed Ugochukwu ferociously on the arm, which eventually led to his death.
“I came back from work that Friday evening to find a crowd in our compound. My mother who was crying uncontrollably, rushed to me and informed me that my brother had been stabbed to death by Tobinto in a bar at Itaja village. When I got there the place had been deserted and what I saw was a pool of blood from the wound my brother sustained upon the stab,’’ he said.
He said that his brother had lent N200 to his killer, Azuonye, who gave him a trowel as a collateral and had promised to take it back when he repays the said sum. But he had not repaid the amount he borrowed before demanding for it.
According to the deceased's brother, it was when every person, including the assailant, had fled the scene, that a concerned citizen named IK, took the victim to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia where he latter died after the doctors had made frantic efforts to save his life.
He said that it was worrisome that his brother was killed by somebody whom he lent N200 to bail him out of a problem he had.
Mr Ekwurike said he promptly reported the matter to Ubakala Divisional Police Headquarters from where the case has been taken to the State Crime Investigation Department, Umuahia for investigation.
Also speaking on the incident, father of late Ugochukwu, Pa Andrew Ekwurike mourned the death. He described his late son as an enterprising youngman.
He disclosed that yesterday, the kinsmen to the assailant, sent emissaries to him with the assurance to fish out Tobinto. “But regrettably, when they returned, they came without him.”
He described as disheartening the attitude of those who were in the bar drinking when the incident happened as they fled the scene without apprehending the killer of his son or even attempting to rescue his son from bleeding to death.
When contacted the Public Relations Office of Abia State Police Command, ASP Jonathan Amechi, said they were yet to get the report from the Police Divisional headquarters in Ubakala. But a senior police officer at the state's CID who would not want his name published, confirmed that the incident has been reported to the CID and that the owner of the bar was helping them in their investigation.
The Compass
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