BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
Police in Ebonyi State have launched a full-scale hunt for a 25-year-old man over an alleged killing of his elder brother during a fight over a woman.
The suspect, Chisom (a.k.a Efi Igbo), was said to have clubbed Chukwuebuka, his elder brother to death while he was observing siesta at house 7, Nzekwe Street, Off Nkaliki Road, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
The Point gathered that Chisom, on September 3, 2021, in their residence at the aforementioned street, hit his elder brother with a plank over a disagreement on a lady.
Stephen Ezeoma, one of their neighbours, told The Point that the two brothers got in contact with the said lady on different occasions and fell in love with her unknown to each of them that she was double-dating.
“We got to know about it while they were fighting on September 1 when a lady visited the deceased. The two brothers claimed that they fell in love with the lady whom they met on different occasions unknown to the lady that they are related.
“When the lady (yet to be identified) from Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state visited Chukwuebuka who was already contemplating to settle down in marriage, Chisom became so furious. That led to fracas between both of them. As neighbours were intervening, the lady fled the scene immediately she discovered that his two lovers were blood brothers. Since then, she has refused to pick their calls.
“I can’t say much about what led to Chukwuebuka’s death because I was not at home on the 3rd of September when it happened.”
Another neighbor, Mrs Theresa Okwuegbu, said that Chisom attacked his elder brother, a nurse, with planks while he was asleep on September 3.
Okwuegbu, a nursing mother, said that “On the 3rd of September, while in my apartment trying to put my baby to sleep, I heard a loud noise from their apartment. Earlier in the day, Chukwuebuka, while exchanging pleasantries when he returned from work, told me that he was going to sleep since he did night shift the previous day.
“As the noise intensified because their parents and other siblings had gone out, I suspected that things might go out of hand so I ran out of the compound to call the attention of passersby and neighbours. On reaching Chukwuebuka’s room, we saw him in pool of blood almost dead. We saw pieces of plank scattered everywhere. He managed to tell us that Chisom was responsible and that he was sleeping when he attacked him. On sighting us, Chisom fled through the back gate.”
Efforts to speak with their parents at press time were, however abortive.
In an interview, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident, saying that security personnel had launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Odah said that the corpse of the deceased had already been deposited in the morgue for autopsy. She said that a handsome reward was awaiting anybody that could offer useful information on Chisom’s whereabouts.
“That was a very bad incident. How can someone kill his blood brother because of a girlfriend? What is this world actually turning into? We got the report with a heavy heart.
“There is a handsome reward for anyone who would assist the police with useful information on the whereabouts of the suspect. Police have gone into full scale investigation on the matter. The corpse was deposited in the morgue for autopsy, “the PPRO stated.
