Family seeks justice for man beaten to death by masquerade – Newstrends
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Family seeks justice for man beaten to death by masquerade

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3 months ago

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Shadrach Okoye

Family seeks justice for man beaten to death by masquerade

Members of the Okoye family in the Umuawulu community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State are seeking justice for the alleged killing of their father, Shadrach Okoye, by a popular masquerade.

Okoye was said to have been punched to death by the said masquerade after he refused to give it money.

Speaking in Awka, on Friday, the first son of the deceased, Chidubem, said the incident happened on December 26, 2023, while his father was accompanying a friend who visited him on the said day.

Chidubem lamented that the corpse of the deceased had been dumped in the mortuary since his murder following hindrances the family encountered in the search for justice and the burial of their father.

He said, “My father, Chief Okoye, left his house alive to accompany his friend and resident of the community who visited to fete with him in the spirit of the Christmas season on that fateful day, only to be brought back as a corpse moments later.

“My father and his friend met about four masquerades on the road as they were going, one of whom refused to allow him to pass, even after the other three masquerades had moved on.

“The unyielding masquerade requested money from my father and insisted that he must give him money before he would pass.

“My father told him that he didn’t have any money on him, and explained to him that he just came out empty-handed to see off his friend. But the masquerade insisted, calling him a cunning person, and vowing that he would never allow him to pass if he didn’t give him money. The masquerade said my dad’s friend was free to pass, even if he didn’t give him money.

“They initially thought it was a joke until they noticed that the masquerade was mean. So, my father’s friend dipped his hand into his pocket, brought out N500, and gave it to the masquerade, to save the situation and bail out my father whom the masquerade was even pushing and threatening with a cane as he was talking.”

He explained that the masquerade, after collecting the money from his father’s friend, still insisted that the deceased must give him his own money, hence, pushing him and threatening to deal with him.

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He added, “As the masquerade was threatening my father to give him money, he uncovered his face, probably for him and the people around to see that he was not smiling; and he then gave him (Okoye) a close-range heavy punch on the chest, pushed him one more time, left him there and went away.

“When he punched him, my father bent down and started gasping for breath, complaining of his chest, before the masquerade now pushed him down, left him there, and went away, still raining abuse on my father for having wasted his time.

“When the masquerade was leaving, the people around and my father’s friend called him, but he ignored them, telling them to abandon my father there, that he was just pretending and faking everything he was doing then, and would still stand up after a short while.

“As this was happening, my father started stifling, and when people noticed that he was no longer himself before they could get a tricycle to rush him to the hospital, he gave up the ghost there and then. He died in pain.”

He revealed that his late father, a petty trader, whose wife died in 2003, had a serious heart problem before he met his death in the hands of the masquerade.

Chidubem said the people around the scene of the incident identified the masquerade as a 19-year-old indigene of the community.

He added that the culprit had fled the community since the incident.

According to him, while the matter has been reported to the Central Police Station in Awka and the traditional ruler of Umuawulu, nothing much has been dones as the police said they would also not do anything on the matter until the suspect is arrested.

When contacted for inquiry and clarification on the matter, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Egwuonwu, said the matter is was being handled by a committee.

He added that he would not comment until the committee finishes its task and gives him the report.

However, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed that the incident was reported at the CPS Division in Awka, said the matter was still under investigation

“The matter is still being investigated please,” Ikenga said.

 

Family seeks justice for man beaten to death by masquerade

(PUNCH)

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General Overseer arrested for allegedly defiling 3 minors, forcing them to swear by Bible

Published

10 hours ago

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May 9, 2024

By

Olayinka Ajiboye

General Overseer arrested for allegedly defiling 3 minors, forcing them to swear by Bible

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Kwara Command, has arrested a cleric identified Olayinka Ajiboye, for allegedly defiling three minors at Agah Village, Ilorin, South Local Government Area of Kwara.

Parading the suspect in Ilorin, the state capital on Thursday, May 9, the command Public Relations Officer, Ayooola Ishola, said the suspect specialises in harassing and sexually assaulting minors. Shola said that Ajiboye had been under the surveillance of the command, following several complaints about his nefarious activities.

“He was apprehended after a tip-off on Tuesday, and investigation conducted revealed that the suspect is the General Overseer of Divine Land of Joy Prayer Ministry, at Agah village. He had sexually assaulted several members of the church, as reported by the victims,”he said

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The PRO noted that one of the victims, (names witheld) reported the case at the Gender Unit of the command on April 3, revealing horrifying details of her ordeal.

“She disclosed that Ajiboye lured her into a house in Sango and sexually assaulted her, afterwards, compelled her to swear with the Holy Bible. He threatened her never to discuss the incident with anyone, or else, be ready to face fatal consequences,” he said.

Shola said that the second and third victims also revealed that the suspect cunningly raped them, forced one of them to terminate the pregnancy she had, and they should never report to anyone.

The State Commandant, Umar Mohammed, expressed concern over the infamous act and directed the Head of Gender Unit to conduct a detailed investigation and ensure that the suspect is prosecuted diligently.

General Overseer arrested for allegedly defiling 3 minors, forcing them to swear by Bible

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Cleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti

Published

23 hours ago

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May 9, 2024

By

Ekiti State Police Command Spokesman, DSP Sunday Abutu

Cleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti

An Ekiti-based Islamic cleric, Ahmed Ojo, has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to his wife’s residence in the Egbe Odo area of Isua Ijesa, Ekiti State, due to her refusal to participate in a late-night prayer with him.

According to Punch, the wife, Bosede Afolabi, revealed that the incident occurred on April 27 when her husband returned home and requested they observe a prayer around 11 pm, which she declined due to exhaustion.

Afolabi stated that her refusal angered her husband, leading to a disturbance that prompted her to seek the intervention of neighbors to calm him down.

Despite efforts to explain her fatigue after a stressful day at work, her husband remained unreceptive, and when she sensed his escalating violence, she sought refuge at a neighbor’s residence for the night.

She narrated further, “At about midnight, a girl from our neighbourhood came to knock on the house to inform us that my house was on fire and that it seemed my husband had set the house on fire.

“I and some neighbours rushed to the scene only to see that the whole building had been engulfed in fire. Before we could get help in putting the fire out, the building had been razed.

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“He was later caught and handed over to the police.”

She added that she remarried Ojo after her first husband passed away, and she has been accommodating him since they got married.

When asked if there had been recurring misunderstanding between them, Afolabi said they had no misunderstanding before the incident.

She, however, blamed her husband’s action on the influence of alcohol.

“What I observed that night was that he was drunk, which was why I tried to avoid the escalation of the disagreement that ensued on that fateful day. He often comes home drunk sometimes, but we have not had any serious misunderstanding in the past,” Afolabi noted.

She added that the incident had left her in a devastating situation due to the huge loss it had caused her.

“I have not been myself since the incident happened because of the loss it has caused me. I appeal to Nigerians to come to my aid,” she concluded.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, disclosed that the suspect is under investigation.

“The incident happened. The man has been arrested and he is currently undergoing investigation at the state’s CID,” Abutu said.

Cleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti

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Your husband is not your partner, he is the head – Daddy Freeze tells Nigerian women

Published

23 hours ago

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May 9, 2024

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Daddy Freeze

Your husband is not your partner, he is the head – Daddy Freeze tells Nigerian women

Popular media personality Daddy Freeze has sparked controversy by declaring that a husband should not be viewed as a partner, but rather as the head of the household.

In a video shared online, he asserted that this notion is deeply rooted in various religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, and traditionalist beliefs, as well as across different cultural tribes.

According to Daddy Freeze, women should shift their perspective and recognize their husbands as the authority figures in the home, rather than seeing them as equals or partners.

In the video, the outspoken personality claimed that he would disrupt the aspirations of Nigerians wanting to relocate abroad.

He further asserted that individuals accused of illegal activities have unjustly pointed fingers at him.

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In the video, Daddy Freeze mentioned that certain individuals had pleaded with him in the comments section, urging him not to take any action against Nigerians.

Daddy Freeze added that he was trying to pity Nigerians and not act on his words. He further boasted that the people don’t have an idea of how big he was in Nigeria.

This is coming few weeks after the media personality, who runs an online church, appealed to Pastor Chris to extend his resurrecting power to late celebrities Mohbad, who passed on in 2023, and Mr Ibu, who died recently.

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, while speaking at the Healing Steam Festival, disclosed that Christ Embassy had raised more than 50 people from the dead in the last year.

Pastor Chris added that people from different countries, both old and young, were resurrected through his ministry.

Your husband is not your partner, he is the head – Daddy Freeze tells Nigerian women

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