Undergraduate: Why I beheaded my rival, video record it

Juliana Francis

The suspect

An undergraduate of Nigeria Maritime Academy, Oron, Akwa-Ibom State, Okonkwo Nzubechukwu, who proudly identified himself as a member of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, has narrated how he beheaded his rival at Aba in Abia State and then calmly video recorded the incident.

Nzubechukwu

Igwilo

Nzubechukwu, 27, confessed to beheading Ugochukwu Igwilo and circulating it on social media until it went viral. Nzubechukwu was arrested alongside Prince Kalu, who is also a member of his cult group.

The suspect was arrested by operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team, (IRT), headed by a   Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.

The fall of Nzubechukwu began after an eight man-gang of robbers, which specialised in robbing and killing Point of Sale (POS) operators in the state, was arrested and during interrogation, disclosed that Nzubechukwu was their member and beheaded a rival group member, Igwilo.

The suspect, after beheading Igwilo, also cut off his legs, arms and genitals. These parts were then taken to a native, who promised to prepare charms to protect Nzubechukwu and his members from police arrest and rival groups.

According to Nzubechukwu, he  joined the Vikings confraternity in 2013, through one Mr. Virus.

He said: “ I was the former head of the confraternity in Aba, in 2015 and I ruled for six months. During my reign we had three guns. Ugochukwu Igwilo is a member of Black Axe Confraternity.  There was a cult war Aba in 2020 and Ugochukwu killed one of our members, Lampard. It was reported on our WhatsApp group.  Ugochukwu attacked Lampard in his compound in Umuchichi, around Osisioma area of Aba and butchered him. Before then, Ugochukwu had also attempted to kill me, but I escaped. Ugochukwu was the former head of the Black Axe group in Aba.”

Nzubechukwu further explained that on March 6, 2021, Ugochukwu came to where they were playing football, but he and his members outnumbered and overpowered him. They then marched him at gunpoint into a bush.

Nzubechukwu said: “While we were moving into the bush, he attempted to escape, but Otiko, a member of our group, went after him and broke his head with a big stick. I then shot him with the locally made gun and he died at the spot. We dragged his body to our Island, which is not far from the bush. I cut off his head and video recorded it. I sent the video to our WhatsApp group and from there it went viral. I also presented the head to our members, who were not on ground when we killed Ugochukwu. It was Spiritual and Otiko, who removed his body parts and took them to a native doctor at Ogbor Hill, in  Ahia Afor Village.”

He stated that the native doctor compelled the members to pound the head in a mortar, and while that was going on, the native doctor made incantations.

“The charm was to prevent the police from arresting us, but it failed us. It was after the video went viral, that our member, More-Light, was arrested over the POS robbery. More-Light told police that he was part of the group that beheaded Ugochukwu,” said Nzubechukwu.

The suspect, who said that his dream was to become an engineer, added that his greatest regret following his arrest, “is that someone else will be sleeping with my   girlfriend.”