Double misfortune has befallen Okorie Orie, a native of Ibenda Effium in Ohaokwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, whose son was killed by an unrepentant gang of robbers that had robbed him 10 years earlier.
A decade ago, 37-year-old Uchenna Okereke, led six other robbers to rob Okorie Orie, dispossessing him of millions of naira and successfully escaped.
But the victim was able to recall the face of Okereke and he correctly identified him to the police, who acted on the information and arrested him. During interrogation, he revealed the identity of the other six members of his gang.
They were all tried, convicted and slammed with 10-year jail term, which they served and were subsequently released. For the duration of the jail term, Okereke nursed a grudge, vowing to take vengeance against Orie.
Not long after his release from prison, Okereke assembled his gang for the long nursed revenge mission.Sunday Sun gathered from the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Mr Maigari Dikko that the
gang stormed the home of Orie at about 8.30pm.Recalling the horrible memory of that night his 28-year-old son, Onyekachi Orie was killed in cold blood, Orie told Sunday Sun:
“It was a shock that I can never forget in my life. The suspect, Uchenna Okereke and his gang robbed me of millions of naira 10 years ago and ran away. I was able to remember his face and reported to the police. He was arrested with members of his gang and remanded at Abakaliki Prisons. They were tried and sentenced to jail for 10 years.
“Then one night, I was in my house when a dog started barking immediately I sensed danger. I came out and hid myself in a nearby bush. The suspect, Uchenna Okereke and his gang came into the house. I heard him asking my neighbours where my room was and they were shown my room. They saw somebody sleeping on the bed and thought I was the one. They didn’t know it was my son who was sleeping on the bed. They just shot him.
“From my hiding place, I heard one of the suspects say that the person who they shot was not me but my son. I summoned courage when I heard the gunshot and flashed my torchlight at them. I was able to identify the suspects, namely, Uchenna Okereke, Chukwuma Ozoemena and Nwabueze Nworu, who killed my son. Immediately I reported to policemen, who promptly arrested the suspects.
Commenting on the case, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Mrs Tina Ogbodos said it was a pathetic case of mistaken identity:
“Uchenna Okereke and his gang robbed the victim, Okorie Orie 10 years ago. They came back to kill the victim but his son was mistaken for him and they killed his son, Onyekachi Orie. They are now in our custody.”
The alleged chief culprit, Uchenna Okereke toldSunday Sun:
“The man sent us to Abakaliki Prison 10 years ago. After we were released from prison, we came to retaliate. When we got to his house, we thought he was the person we saw sleeping on the bed in his room. We didn’t know it was his son before we shot him. It was a member of my gang who later said it was not Okorie Orie that we killed,that it was his son; we just had to escape from the scene. Later the man we wanted to kill identified us again to the police.”
