A revenue collector in the Umuleri area of Anambra State, Ifeanyi Ezinwa, is to face prosecution for the murder of his relative, Chukwuebuka Iloegbunam.
Ezinwa reportedly strangled 19-year-old Iloegbunam for constantly asking for repayment of N100,000 he lent him (Ezinwa).
It was gathered that Ezinwa, 29, turned to Chukwuebuka Iloegbunam to save him from embarrassment when the money he was keeping for people was short at the time he was to remit the contribution.
Iloegbunam bailed out his relative by giving him N100,000 to make up the shortfall upon the understanding that the money would be paid back in January.
However, Ezinwa did not pay back as agreed, prompting Illoegbunam to keep reminding him at every opportunity they had.
This infuriated Ezinwa, who plotted to kill him to be free of the harassment.
He asked the victim to meet him at a bush path near a secondary school in the town around 8.30 pm on the pretence of paying the debt.
Ezinwa went to the rendezvous with a knife hidden in a loaf of bread.
The victim reportedly saw him at the point of bringing out the knife and put up a strong fight, during which he wrestled away the knife.
In the struggle, Ezinwa grabbed his relative by the neck and squeezed it till he became lifeless, after which he ran to town to claim that they were attacked by robbers.
The matter was reported to the police who detained Ezinwa and transferred him to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Awka.
Following a petition from the family of the deceased, the case was later taken over by the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team led by DCP Abba Kyari.
It was at the IRT office that he finally confessed to the crime and gave a vivid account of what transpired.
The suspect confessed that he committed the act alone on January 15, 2021 around 8.30 pm on a lonely path near Umuleri Technical School.
He said, “I am married with three children. I dropped out of secondary school at SS2, months after my father died. I learnt how to drive and started driving commercial buses. It was not easy for me. About two years ago, some of our kinsmen invited me to work for the community. I am a revenue collector for the elderly men in the community.
“We have markets and every trader is expected to pay a certain amount of money. I spent part of the money I collected. I knew I would lose my job if they noticed a shortage. It was out of desperation that I approached Chukwuebuka (Iloegbunam) who ran a provision store in our village. He is my relative. We are from the same kindred in Umuleri. I borrowed N100,000 from him in December 2020 and promised to pay back on January 10. I could not meet up with the deadline and he kept disturbing me and threatened to report me to the Igwe (king).
“I made up my mind to silence him. I bought a loaf of bread and hid a sharp knife in it. I called him to meet me at Aguleri junction around 8pm. He came with an okada man and I asked the rider to go.”
The suspect said he then told the deceased to let them take a walk to where he would get the money, but that, at some point he lied to Iloegbunam that he wanted to urinate.
He narrated what transpired afterwards: “There are bushes around the school and people hardly pass through the route. I immediately brought out the knife. He saw me on time and started fighting. He took the knife and stabbed me before I grabbed his neck and strangled it. I ran to the palace and the Igwe of Umuleri was not around. I told the security men I met that I was attacked by armed robbers and they asked me to go to the hospital for treatment.
“The next day, the chairman of security in our community came with the police and arrested me. They found Iloegbunam’s body but I insisted that we were attacked. I eventually told the police the truth. I cannot explain the devil that entered me.”
