Sometime 17 years ago, precisely in 1996 Imo State and indeed the entire nation woke up to the rude shock of nuclear ritual killing revelations in Owerri perpetuated by some of the movers and shakers of the town then, these men had enjoyed the ritual killing and unholy way of making money with the pretence of 419 until the killing of a 9-year old boy, Master Ikechukwu Okonkwo exposed their evil way and caused street unrest and chaos, which is today known as the Owerri riot. During the unrest, a dried body of a man was also discovered in his friend’s wardrobe. The whole ritual killings were attributed to money making exercise.
Recently, an earlier alleged missing 78 year old woman’s dried body was found in a wardrobe in her son’s private shrine. The man (suspect) Chief Dr Chimezie Bede Osigweh, 64, is a retired Secondary School Principal (Awaa Community Secondary School) with a sound control of English language.
Unlike the 1996 Owerri ritual killings suspects who were money bags, with landed properties and fleet of cars, big spender at occasions, clubs and joints. Chief Dr Osigweh, has nothing to show as everything around him depict poverty and wretchedness, no good house and living environment, no fleet of cares (probably no landed properties), no wife and children even at 64.
Consequently, journalists awashed him with questions on why he dried his mother’s body for 10-years and still counting.
However, Dr Osigweh, refused to reveal to the press why he dried his mother for 10 years with the fear of being attacked by enemies “Please I will not say anything on camera because my enemies are all over this place, so that they will not use it to attack me. Do you know that I have escaped three assassination attempts” he pleaded. All efforts by the press to make him talk proved futile as he maintained to talk only in secret.
With the result oriented leadership style of the Imo state Commissioner of police, Mohammed Musa Katsina, who is poised to get all necessary information from the suspect. It will not be long before the actual reasons for drying his mother will be made open.
Meanwhile, more condemnations have continued to trail the action of the suspected ritualist.
Imo traditional rulers under the auspices of Imo State Council of Ndi Eze yesterday came down hard on Dr Osigweh by announcing his banishment from Imo State.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri yesterday, the Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri, said the decision of the Ezes to banish Osigweh is to express their resentment to the sacrilegious act of the suspected ritualist.
He said such act is cruel, wicked ungodly and against the norms and tradition of Igbo culture. While urging the police to carry on investigations, he decreed that Osigweh is not to be seen anywhere in the state henceforth.
Eze Ohiri also fumed at the recent exposure of a baby factory home at Umuaka in Njaba LGA. He said the operators of such “factory” deserve a death penalty, describing such act as against the ethics of Igbo culture. “It is only in poultry management that fowls and hens are kept for such procreation and not for human beings” he fired.
