The incident was said to have occurred at Uzor Street, Ajegunle, on September 24 2013. A tyre dealer, Ugwu was said to have been accosted by two area boys, identified as Saturday and Chimezie, while offloading goods from a vehicle to his shop.
Continue after the break.The deceased's wife, Stella, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, told PUNCH Metro that her husband had resisted the thugs'efforts to extort money from him leading to the assault on her husband.
She said,
“Around 9pm on that day, two young men, known as Saturday and Chimezie, accosted us saying they would not allow us to carry on working until we settle them.
“We asked them why we should pay them because the goods had nothing regarding the hoodlums. Saturday was “annoyed; he walked away only to go back with stones, which he threw at us. When my husband cautioned him to stop causing trouble, Saturday acquired a “stick and struck Ugwu on the neck.”
Ugwu was said to have fallen to the ground while all efforts to revive him failed.
PUNCH Metro learnt that just after Ugwu was killed, the Divisional Police Officer of Ajegunle Police Station, Mr. Abayomi Agbana, was contacted. Agbana was said to have dispatched policemen to the location and both suspects were arrested.
The bereaved wife lamented the hardship that were brought on the family as a result of her husband's death.
She said,
“Who will train my children for me? Ugwu was an excellent father and husband; he was too young to die. We loved each other so much. How can my three children be fatherless at these ages? Our first is just 15 years old. The second reason is 12 years and the last child is nine. These hoodlums have wiped out the joy of my life.”
In his statement at law enforcement station, Saturday claimed that he actually demanded money from the businessman but had nothing regarding his death.
He explained while demanding money from Ugwu, Stella told her husband to not part with any money.
Saturday claimed that at that instant, Stella held his singlet. He alleged that Chimezie and the deceased were attempting to appeal Stella to let go of the suspect when the businessman suddenly collapsed.
He insisted that neither him nor his accomplice had fought Ugwu.
Chimezie was also said to have alleged, in his statement, that he was attempting to appeal Stella when her husband suddenly collapsed. He claimed that no kind of violence had been used on the deceased.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the situation has been transfered to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos, for further investigation.
The victim's younger brother, Francis, said the family was prepared to bury the corpse but police had yet to produce the body.
He explained, “The police have insisted that the autopsy report must be done before the body would be released.”
Detectives at the SCID have however blamed the ongoing doctors'strike for the delay.
A detective, who spoke to the correspondent on the problem of anonymity on Tuesday, said,
“Many bereaved families have already been complaining considering that the doctors strike started. The reason being they would like to bury their loved ones but cannot take away their corpses because autopsy reports haven't been done. The problem is worrisome and embarrassing in certain cases.”
The Police Public Relations Officer of their state command, Ngozi Braide, said she'd call when contacted for info on the case. She is yet to do so by 8pm.
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