*Those shot dead by police were innocent passers-by-community

*It’s not true, they engaged us in gun duel- Police

…I was raped by five men, forced to have sex with my brother-Kidnap victim

 

 

Accusations and counter accusations have continued to trail the recent killing of two alleged kidnappers by police at Onunwafor village in Ezzagu community, Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi state.

Police on Saturday, July 25, 2020 stormed the community following a tip off that some people were kidnapped by youths of Onunwafor village.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, on getting to the bush where the victims were held hostage, the youths engaged them in a gun duel and two of the alleged kidnappers were gunned down by the police, while two policemen sustained bullet injuries on their legs.

Odah said that two of the victims including Chioma’s elder brother were rescued by the police after exchange of gunshots with the kidnappers, adding that the youths while fleeing from police took Chioma with them, but she was rescued on Monday, July 27.

“It was in the bush that police met those that were shot dead and they engaged the police in exchange of gunshots. If you ask the victims rescued earlier, they will tell you that police never went to the deceased homes, it was in the bush that we met them. This girl was kept different from the brother after they had forced him to have sex with his sister. They didn’t want him to see them as they continued raping her. My two policemen sustained bullet injuries. The one that shot them used pulp action and we recovered some live cartridges from them.

“They had ‘juju’ on them, when you shoot at them they will just dust it off their body. It was the grace of God on our side that helped one of the policemen to get two of them on the chest while they were busy dusting off the previous bullet that landed on their chest.

“Now that these people have been rescued, we will get their boss that ran away. We are not going to leave any of them because they also have allegation against them that they are owing some of the villagers. But you should know that when a bigger offence of kidnap and rape are involved, defrauding will be kept one side.

“We will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that Justice is done in this matter”, she assured

According to police, the case was still under investigation and efforts have been put in place to arrest the suspects who are at large.

Meanwhile, stakeholders from the community claimed that those killed by the police were innocent passers-by who were not even from the village.

Speaking on behalf of the community, one Barrister Ugama Steven, maintained that the youths were pushed to the wall by Chioma and her colleagues who he said duped the villagers and ran away.

Steven said that while they don’t condone the atrocities committed by the youths who took laws into their hands, that tagging the community kidnappers den was out of it.

He stated: “On Saturday we got a report that two persons were shot in our place by the police. We were at the local government to share the palliatives from State government and luckily enough, the deputy governor was there and he told us to move down to the village to know what was happening.

“On getting there, we discovered that about two or three months ago some persons came to the community and rented a place. What they do is that they have a shop where they equally rented were they are doing there business. What business do they do? They collect money from innocent villagers and say if you pay N1000 in the next four days we will give you N2000.

“This went on for like two to three months, they collected huge amount of money from the community. On Thursday last week the leader of the Ponzi scheme made away with the money that was collected. When people heard of this they decided to hold hostage the three remaining members.

“They told them to call their leader to bring back the money they have collected. Now, it became obvious that it was a plan deal between them and their leader to leave with the money. These ones made attempt to leave and youths of the community held them back and say you people are not going anywhere until the money collected from the villagers is brought back, that is the genesis of the problem.

“We totally agree that the right thing they should have done was to hand them over to the police, but when people are pushed to the wall they will react and that is why it seemed they took the law into their hands. Anybody who is tagging it kidnapping,  well that is for the court to decide.

“Sadly, the police got information that these people were being held hostage which is true  and the police moved in. The two young men who died  in that incident were not even from that very community. One of them was a labourer that was employed to work at a place around the area and he only went to the market square to eat and on his way back he met his  untimely death. These are the facts.

“We, the stakeholders of the community are not in support in any way of any criminality that was committed by the youths. First, by holding them hostage because the right thing they should have done would have been to hand them over to the police. Let police carry out investigation and arrest their boss.

“Second, they equally alleged that the girl was raped, if that is established those who did it should be charged to court and they should go in for the crime they have committed. But painting the village as a kidnapping den is what is not right.

“Equally, we want to clear an impression because one of the things that went out to the press was that it was the president general of the community that led the people who held them hostage, that is not true, it is the youth leader of the village that was involved.

… Raped by five men, forced to have sex with her brother-victim

20-year-old Chioma Dioke, who was among the kidnapped victims has narrated how she was raped by five men and forced by their abductors to have sex with her elder brother who is 27years old.

The victims are natives of Aku in Igboetiti local government area of Enugu State who were recruited by a company and brought to Ebonyi state by one Otukpo, to market some products such as Noddles, toothpaste, Pampers and they would be paid commission based on the quantity of products they sold.

On getting to Onwunwafor village, they met with the youth leader, Monday Nworie who rented one of his rooms to them for one year. And Monday entered into agreement with their boss that he will be given a commission based on the funds generated by the company in the village.

Chioma who was paraded by Ebonyi Police command on Monday, said that on getting to the village, their boss introduced them to another business. In this business, participants are expected to invest some money and get double of what they invested in return.

Trouble started when their boss after sometime made away with the money they generated and abandoned them in the village without paying them as well as the villagers who invested in the Ponzi scheme and those that took part in the marketing job.

Having seen that their boss had disappeared, the villagers took into hostage Chioma, his brother and one other marketer from Enugu State and dealt with them mercilessly.

Chioma while speaking with journalists at the police headquarters, narrated how she was allegedly raped, molested and beaten to stupor by the youths who abducted them, stating that they were led by the village youth leader Monday Nworie.

“I’m from Aku village in Igboetiti local government area of Enugu state. I’m twenty years old, while my brother is 27 years old. A company employed us and we advertise the new Noddles known as Bestie, Pampers, Power Oil among other things for them. Our boss who I only know as Otukpo, also recruited some people from the village. When they sell any of the items a particular amount is paid to them as commission. My boss also introduced us to an investment program where you invest N1000 and after five days they pay you N1,500.

“We were recruited from Enugu state and on getting to the community more people were also recruited. It was the youth leader of the community that brought us from Enugu and we rented one of his rooms for one year. He also has a share in any fund we generated for the company.

“One day, our boss traveled, I went to the office and waited for sometime but I didn’t see him. There were others working with my boss too but we didn’t see any of them. I’m into the business with my elder brother who is 27years old and one other person from Enugu.

“So my boss and his friends abandoned the three of us and fled the community. I have worked with them in that village for only two weeks.

“On Wednesday last week some of the village youths came to us and were asking after our boss, but when we told them we don’t know his whereabouts, they took us to a bush in the village where they held us hostage.

“Inside the bush they removed my cloth, tore my pant and bra. Some of them had sex with me while some who were afraid used their hands and sticks to insert inside my vagina. They were touching my breast anyhow.

“After five of them took turns on me, they insisted that my brother must have sex with me. I pleaded with me but they refused. They went and brought my brother to where I was kept, removed his clothes and were flogging him. My brother told them it is an abomination for him to have sex with his sister, but they threatened to kill him and were beating him mercilessly.

“My brother had to obey them and after having sex with me blood started coming out from my vagina. Despite seeing blood some of them still inserted sticks inside my vagina. I saw hell!

“They took us deep inside the bush and we stayed there for five days. The incident happened on Wednesday and police rescued me on Monday. While in the bush, If they hear anything like gunshots they will be taking us inside the bush more than more.

“I begged them to have pity on me that they should hand me over to the police, but they said the case is not a police case. Insisting they must kill us and throw our body inside the river.

“I even told them that if they take me to my sister in Enugu that our boss lives close to her that I will find him and that I know his children, but all my plea landed on deaf ears.

“They had sex with me every night from that Wednesday till I was rescued. They tied my hands and had sex with me one after another. They didn’t give me anything to eat” she narrated.

Chioma said that help came her way through the village leader who pitied her and took her to the market square on Monday where he bought bread and water for her.

“After torturing me one of them we know as CSO, took me to a place where he bought bread and pure water which he gave me to eat. While we were at the junction, I don’t know the name of the place because it was my first time of going there. But right there, a woman saw me with the CSO who is also the youth leader and started shouting, asking the man ‘so you are with this girl’. That was when the he ran away and the woman called policemen who came and took me.  If you see my whole body you will shudder, they hit me with sticks and rod” she added.

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