An innocent passerby, Christopher Udi suffered a cruel fate as he was hacked to death by a man quarrelling with his younger brother over a parcel of land. The assailant, Maduka Samuel Ogbu, 38, had attempted to strike his brother, Peter Ogbu with a machete during a quarrel in their farm at Mgbede Akaeze in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Peter escaped after being dealt a blow in the back.
While Maduka’s anger was still boiling, he saw Udi passing by, and thinking he was a friend to his younger brother, instantly dealt him a fatal blow, which severed the head of the innocent man.
Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Mr Maigari Dikko told Sunday Sun that the incident happened on September 14, 2013.
On the fateful day Peter had gone to his to his farm at Mgbede Akaeze and found out that the fire his elderly brother, Maduka set to the farm close his had damaged his crops.
According to the police commissioner, an aggrieved Peter went to challenge his elder brother who instead of making peace, chased him with a machete and succeeded in hitting him in the back with the weapon.
As Peter ran away with the machete wound, Udi unfortunately was passing by and Maduka thought he was his younger brother’s friend and decided to vent his anger on the hapless man. He wielded the machete and chopped off Udi’s head.
Peter alerted residents of the community and Maduka was arrested.
Maduka speaks on his action: “I have a land dispute with my brother, which the elders in the community have assisted to settle to no avail. I set fire, which spread to my brother’s farm and damaged the crops.
“He challenged me. We started to quarrel and suddenly I removed my machete and wanted to strike him dead but unfortunately he ran and the machete hit him in the back. I didn’t know that Christopher Udi was not his friend. I saw him at the spot and chopped off his head and he died.”
Sunday Sun gathered that many in the community knew Maduka as troublesome. Residents of the Mgbede Akaeze community were angered by the murder of an innocent man and demanded that justice be done.”
The police commissioner said the case had been transferred to the State CID Abakaliki, adding that the suspect, Maduka Ogbu would soon be charged to court.