Double Misfortune-Jailed Robbers Return 10years Later To Kill Victim's Son In Ebonyi

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.Information
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 said
“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 near­
by 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.”