That was how strong the bond of friendship that held them together remained until Saturday, May 21. On that fateful day, as Onyedikachi set out with Onuoha to see one of their friends in Umuogele, a suburb of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, little did he know he would never come back home alive.
Even if he had had a premonition of any danger lurking, he may not have probably thought it would be in the mould of meeting his end more so in the hand of his friend. As they moved along, chatting away in the ecstasy of the moment, they never knew that man’s common foe, danger was hanging around few meters away.
Daily Sun gathered that moments after the duo set out in their journey, Onuoha saw a girl he had known for some time.
He beckoned on her and they engaged in discussions. As they stood by the road side chatting, another young man said to be one of their friends and identified as Udochukwu Ogbonna, emerged from nowhere, clinching an empty bottle in his right hand.
That marked the genesis of the trouble which ultimately consumed Onyedikachi and resulted in the razing down of a building where the suspect and his mother lived. As he approached towards the direction of Onuoha and the girl, according to our source, Ogbonna allegedly broke the bottle in his hand and without asking questions, began to stab the former, muttering words that he had warned him (Onuoha) severally to stay away from the girl whose identity is yet to be ascertained.
It was also gathered that immediately the deceased who stood at a close distance waiting for Onuoha to end his discussion with the girl so that they could proceed to where they were going to, saw what happened and how blood was gushing out of his friend’s body, rushed to intervene and that landed him too into trouble.
Our source further hinted that as soon as he rushed to ask Ogbonna why he took the action and to prevent him from stabbing Onuoha to death, he allegedly bounced on him and gave him more deadly stabs within the region of the neck and he fell down instantly. Onyedikachi did not die immediately. He was said to have managed to crawl to a nearby private hospital on Ohanku road within the precincts of the incident, screaming for medical attention. His cries to be attended to in order to save his live fell on deaf ears as the doctor and nurses on duty threw professionalism to the winds and insisted on some amount of money being deposited first before he could be treated. Onyedikachi in the unfortunate state he found himself died moments later in the pool of his own blood inside the hospital premises. Some youths who witnessed what happened, apprehended the suspect and handed him over to the police at Ndiegoro Police station where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Joshua Bakyu ordered for his detention and directed his men to carry out thorough investigation on the matter. Ogbonna is believed to have been moved to Umuahia for further interrogation. He was said to have told the police that it was better he was killed as he was no longer enjoying his life. The matter did not end there; Onyedikachi’s death triggered off a chain reaction which rendered over eight families homeless and property worth over N100 million destroyed. Immediately the news of the death of the young man spread to the neighbourhood, an angry mob believed to be his kinsmen living in Aba mobilized themselves for a revenge mission.
The mob headed to No. 10 Nworgu Domiri Street by Ohanku Road owned by one Prince Joshua and where Ogbonna and his mother were said to be living. They pulled down the building which cost was put at over N100 million and set it ablaze. The Police at Ndiegoro were, however, said to be on the trail of the arsonists.
Daily Sun was informed that this was not the first time people from a particular community in Ebonyi State resident in the Aba would take the laws into their hands by vandalizing, pulling down and setting buildings ablaze where persons they believed that caused the death of one of their own live in revenge.
Meanwhile, Onuoha who was said to have survived the attack is now recuperating in a private hospital in the city while the body of his late friend, Onyedikachi was deposited in a private mortuary.
Posted: at | |