Posted by From NWABUEZE OKONKWO, Onitsha on
Samuel Onuora, the second-in-command of the vigilante operatives guarding Our Lady's Industrial Centre, Nkpor, near Onitsha, Anambra State on Tuesday took a crack team of homicide detectives from the police headquarters, Awka round the industrial centre, the scene where he and his co-suspected assassin, Uche Okeke allegedly killed the commander of the vigilante operatives, Luke Agugua (a.k.a Jamaica) and four other fellow operatives, penultimate Sunday morning and insisted that his action was based on devil's deceit.
Samuel Onuora, the second-in-command of the vigilante operatives guarding Our Lady's Industrial Centre, Nkpor, near Onitsha, Anambra State on Tuesday took a crack team of homicide detectives from the police headquarters, Awka round the industrial centre, the scene where he and his co-suspected assassin, Uche Okeke allegedly killed the commander of the vigilante operatives, Luke Agugua (a.k.a Jamaica) and four other fellow operatives, penultimate Sunday morning and insisted that his action was based on devil's deceit.
Onuora admitted before the Officer-in-Charge of homicide, Mr. Iro (CSP), amidst a mammoth crowd that he killed Jamaica and two others, while Okeke whom he invited to assist him in the act, killed two others.
Onuora, who hails from Aguleri, said he shot and killed his boss first while he slept and thereafter, called four others who he posted to other strategic positions, as the second-in-command, on phone, lying to them that there were some robbers at the entrance of the facility. He said when he saw them approaching, he signalled to Uche to shoot one, while himself shot the other.
Onuora further showed the police team and members of Nluani Landlords Association where he trailed the third person he killed to a fence covered with bab-wire and hacked him to death with axe.
Onuora said afterwards he asked his co-suspect, Uche Okeke to leave the compound, while himself went up from the scene and slept till about 6 a.m. when he called the chairman of the landlords association, Chief Robert Ozigbo on phone to inform him that robbers invaded the compound and killed his fellow operatives.
He said he equally rushed to the police station at Ogidi and made an entry to that effect before heading to the police headquarters, Awka to report the matter.
In his reaction, the O/C Homicide, Iro, said when Onuora initially reported to them that robbers invaded their territory at night and killed his colleagues and he barely managed to escape, they were full of praises for his galantry, but few days later when petitions and accusing fingers began to filter into the police headquarters that Onuora, the only survivor was involved in th killings, the police investigated the matter thoroughly and discovered his culpability.
The chairman of Nluani landlords, Chief Ozigbo, described the incident as pathetic and unfortunate and commended the police for doing a thorough job, adding, "if the police had been working this hard, the general public would have been in love with them".
Ozigbo therefore appealed to the state police commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Abbas to post some policemen to the area because since after the killing of the vigilante operatives, the area had remained porous.
In a brief interview, the principal suspect, Onuora told newsmen that the deceased leader of the vegilante group and others did not offend him, pointing out that it was the devil that pushed him into killing them, so that he could take over the mantle of leadership in the area because he was tired of being the second-in-command.
Also, the co-suspect, Uche Okeke who noted that he is also a vigilante operative in Awka, told newsmen that it was Onuora who called him for assistance for a special price which he was not given before their arrests.