Ebonyi community petitions IGP, wants released murder suspects re-arrested

Members of the Ugwuma Edda Community of Ebonyi State, yesterday appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to order re-arrest of three persons earlier arrested but reportedly released over the killing of one Mr Kelechi Irem. The accused persons: Paul Okey Onu, Ifeanyi Orji Ekea and Orji Joseph Amaechila, suspected to be political thugs […]

Members of the Ugwuma Edda Community of Ebonyi State, yesterday appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to order re-arrest of three persons earlier arrested but reportedly released over the killing of one Mr Kelechi Irem.

The accused persons: Paul Okey Onu, Ifeanyi Orji Ekea and Orji Joseph Amaechila, suspected to be political thugs were said to have been released from the Abakaliki Custodial Centre, where they were remanded by an Ebonyi magistrates’ court.

Kelechi, who hails from Ugwuma Edda, a village in Afikpo South Local Government Area of the state was murdered on July 31, 2021, by suspected members of a notorious group of political enforcers known as and called “More Kan Be Done”.

The petitioners, while demanding the suspects’ re-arrest through a law firm, Mudi Erhenede and Associates in a petition dated November 3, 2021 and submitted at force headquarters, described the development as “strange”.

“Strangely, however, our clients were shocked to their marrow when they saw the trio of Paul Okey Onu, Ifeanyi Orji Ekea and Orji Joseph Amaechila, who were supposed to be remanded in custody in Ekoli Edda community of Afikpo South in company of their cohorts and numerous members of the dreaded “More Kan Be Done” group drinking, firing gun shots into the sky in rancorous celebration over their release without any trial of any kind by a court of law,” the petition partly read.