I AM COMPLETELY INNOCENT, MY HANDS ARE CLEAN, SAYS NKECHI AS HE SWEARS TO OATH
By Amos Chukwuekwu
A vigilante member in Idumuesah Kingdom in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr. Nkechi Onyesom, on Friday January 19, 2024, sworn to an oath as a traditional way to seek justice and prove his innocence over the alleged killing of an Owa Oyibu man, known as Mr. Vote.
Mr. Nkechi while taking the oath in the presence of some elders and residents of Idumuesah said he is innocent in the death of Mr. Vote, saying that he was wrongly accused.
Before taken the oath, Mr. Nkechi stated that on that fateful day of December 23, 2023, he went to a burial ceremony at Egbudu Akah, saying that he came back to his house at about 8pm and decided to take a rest.
He disclosed that at about 8:30pm, his phone rang and the caller whom he said was the chairman of Anioma vigilante in Idumuesah, Mr. Okafor told him that some persons were shot at flyover Idumuesah/Owa Oyibu Road.
In his words, “On December 23, 2023, I attended a burial ceremony at Egbudu Akah, when I came back at about 8pm, I decided to lie down and take some rest; At about 8:30pm, my phone rang and when I answered, it was the chairman of Anioma vigilante, Mr. Okafor informing me that some persons have been shot at flyover, Owa Oyibu Road.
SEE ALSO: IKA PHILOSOPHICAL/CULTURAL WISDOM:BURIAL BY ONYEKPEZE
“When I got to the scene of the incident, the wounds were severe, I decided to call my chairman, Engr. Amos Agbobu and he appealed to me to take the victims to the hospital and I did as he told me; When we got to the junction at Owa Oyibu, he (Agbobu) called me and came to meet us, and together, we went to general hospital at Owa Alero but we were referred to Central Hospital, Agbor and together we left for the hospital.
“Upon our arrival at the hospital, we were quickly attended to by the doctors, they took the first victim and medically attended to him, while attending to the first victim, they came back to take and attend to the second one but unfortunately, he gave up the ghost before they could attend to him and we eventually went back to our various houses”.
“At about 2:00 am, my overall chairman, Engr. Agbobu hooted his car horn at my house, and when I opened the door, I saw him with some police officers and he told me that a petition was written against him that both of us were involved in the killing of the victim.
“The police took us to the station at Owa Oyibu and detained us till dawn, and at about 6 pm, we were bailed and on December 27, 2023, we were rearrested and taken to Asaba, and I gave the statement and was eventually bailed.
“You cannot beat a child and ask him not to cry, I am standing here to swear to oath that I am completely innocent of what I am being accused of; my hands are clean,” he narrated.