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PDP chairman killed during 2023 election laid to rest in Ebonyi

Charles Nwankwo – Abakaliki

Tears flowed down the cheeks of families, friends and well wishes when the slain PDP Chairman, Ezza North Local Government Area Ebonyi State, Peter Ikechukwu Nweke was
buried.

Nweke’s remains were laid in state after being moved from the Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital morgue, Abakaliki.

The PDP chairman died from injuries sustained from an attack by hoodlums suspected to be political thugs during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections on Saturday 18th March 2023 at his polling unit, booth 10 Ndiegu Ogboji ward, Ezza North Local Government Area.

The Police in Ebonyi confirmed the death of Nweke on Sunday 19th March.
It was gathered that the late Peter Nweke ran away from the polling unit into hiding when he sensed danger as the assailants stormed the place but a suspected informant pointed in his direction and he was attacked and tortured. He died in the process.

The suspected hired thugs who arrived at the polling unit on motorcycles conveyed Nweke’s dead body back to the polling unit, dumped him in front of his wife and zoomed off.

An eyewitness who chose to remain anonymous narrated that on that fateful day, voting had commenced in the polling unit where Nweke was performing his duty as his party’s agent. An aged woman approached him and asked for his assistance to enable her to cast her vote.

A lady married off to Nkomoro a neighbouring community but has not transferred her voter card to her husband’s polling unit allegedly phoned her husband who was contesting the State House of Assembly position on the platform of the Labour Party LP, Mr. Leonard Kelechi Nwali and told him that Nweke was manipulating the election against him.

Consequently, Nwali allegedly called Nweke and threatened him that he would not live to see the end of the election. It was further gathered that some minutes after that call, suspected assassins stormed the area on motorcycles and killed the PDP chairman.

The incident was reported to the Police and following investigations, four persons were arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of the PDP chieftain, including the prime suspect, Mr. Nwali
The state police command, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said the suspects confessed to the crime.

According to the police, the first suspect, Leonard Kelechi Nwali, a Labour Party House of Assembly aspirant, Ezza North Constituency, allegedly confessed to hiring the assailants to torture Nweke. However, he died in the process. He allegedly said Nweke posed a threat to his political ambition, so he contacted one Akwasi of Umuezeoka, in Ezza North LGA, who spearheaded the torture that eventually resulted in the death of the PDP chairman.

The second suspect, Onyebuchi Chita, of Nkomoro community, in the same local government area, also allegedly confessed to having brought in the killers from Nkomoro into Ogboji community, where Peter Nweke was killed.

The third suspect, Aloke Obinna, of Ogboji community, allegedly confessed to having given his motorcycle to one Onyebuchi Chita for escape after the incident.

Ifeanyi Nwokpuku, the fourth suspect, of Ogboji community in Ezza North LGA, allegedly conspired with one Sampson Nweke, who pointed Nweke out to the killers.

The four suspects have been remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correction Centre.
In his tribute on behalf of the family, Peter’s elder brother, Mr John Nweke described the deceased as the most jovial and vibrant in the family of many children and cried that the vacuum his demise created in the family would be very difficult to fill.

In his condolence message, a PDP stakeholder, Chief Austin Igwe Edeze who represented Ifeanyichukwu Odii, a governorship aspirant of the PDP in Ebonyi State and the Ezza North PDP stakeholders, expressed shock over the untimely death of the party loyalist, saying that Nweke’s soul will have eternal rest, but his killers will experience perpetual suffering.

Innocent Nome, a lawmaker representing Ezza North East in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly said, “I was the last person Peter called before he was killed and said, ‘My life is in danger, do whatever you can do my killers are nearby.’ I quickly sent security officials from my polling unit who were still on their way and within 15 minutes, news came that Peter had been killed.

The gruesome murder of Nweke would have caused a communal clash between Ogboji and Nkomoro communities but Ogboji youths heeded the plea of Ogboji elders, who said Nkomoro as a community did not plot to kill him. The elders said all those connected with the death of the PDP chairman must all be arrested from their hiding places and brought to justice.

Earlier in a requiem mass, the Parish Priest of Cosmas and Damian Rev. Fr. Malachi Okonkwo and his fellow priest, St. Mary’s Nkomoro prayed to God to open heaven for the deceased which is the greatest benefit for those who believe in God.

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