Imo Family Insists On Justice Over Brother’s Death And Tell Their Own Side Of The Story.

Every Story has two sides......

The family of Late Hon. Nicholas Ulokanjo Obiukwu of Umuoke, Umuoma Onicha Ezinihitte Local Government Area, Imo State have called on police authorities and the judiciary to ensure that nothing less than justice was done with the regards to the alleged murder of their brother Mr. Godswill Uchenna Nick-Obiukwu.

Mr. Jude Nick-Obiukwu, who issued a statement on behalf of the family, alleged that their brother died as a result of a well-orchestrated conspiracy.

His statement was in reaction to an earlier claims by the daughter of the suspect in the alleged murder of the deceased, Jennifer Meribe, who had told DAILY POST that her father was being detained in the prison without trial for a crime he knew nothing about.

However, in a reaction, the brother of the deceased, said contrary to the claims made by Jennifer, his family was well known in the entire neighbourhood as responsible and decent.

His statement read in full:

“Our parents (now late) were responsible and very generous. They are till date celebrated icons of the Ancient Kingdom of Onicha Amairi that currently has five (5) Autonomous Communities. Though they are late, but history still tells about their personalities and philanthropism.

Everyone of us, their children, is a responsible orphan not armed robbers as insinuated by Jennifer Meribe in her publication.

The Late Mr. Godswill U. Nick-Obiukwu, was the first son and second child of the family of five children. He graduated in Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical Engineering at the Petroleum Training Institute Warri Delta State in 1994, before our mother’s death in 1995. He also holds National Diploma in Library Science from Okoh Polytechnics. He was intelligent and impacted knowledge across the youths of Onicha Amairi through tuition and mentoring.

 It was in search of job that he shuttled from home to any possible area of job vacancy and due to lack of a befitting job that he resided in the home before the ugly incident of his cold murder in our house at Umuoma by Mr. Anthony Meribe, his first son Kenneth Meribe and two other hired accompanists.

NOW OUR STORY
We regret the fact that the so called Jennifer Meribe who parades
herself with multiple names as Jennifer Brown and Jennifer Smith for reasons best known to her in the United Kingdom but with real names as Ogechi Jenniffer Meribe has wrongly represented the incident that led to the death of our brother Godswill.

On Wednesday February 11th 2009, the said Anthony Meribe father of Ogechi Jennifer Meribe (Jennifer Brown and Jennifer Smith of United Kingdom), who Jennifer Meribe said has been on imprisonment for crime he did not commit, gave a phone call to our brother in-law Comrade Hyacinth Ihekoronye, informing him that Mr. Godswill broke into his house and removed his iron rods, ladder and other household items. And our in-law asked him if he was very sure of what he said and he answered in the affirmative. Our brother in-law then advised him to note those items and promised to reach him over the weekend, and that if it is confirmed to be true that he will ask Mr. Jude Nick-Obiukwu to replace those items because to his knowledge Mr. Godswill has never been associated with stealing or any form of criminality. 

Mr. Anthony Meribe accepted and finally said that, “I will not let Godswill go free”. On the same date of Wednesday 11th February, 2009, Anthony Meribe also called our sister Mrs. Chikaodi F. Akujobi (Nee Nick-Obiukwu) and re-affirmed that, “I must deal with Godswill”. It was the same day that a letter written by Umuokeikpa family against Godswill as addressed to the then Traditional Ruler of Onicha Nweorie, Eze N.U. Uwakwe was read at the Aladimma Umuoma Onicha Nweorie without a copy of which letter given to our family.

The said letter which was signed by seven (7) persons among the Okeikpa family was written at Anthony Meribe’s sitting room on the 1
st of January 2009, without any of our immediate (Nicks) family members being invited to the meeting. Even when our brother Mr. Chibuike P. Nick-Obiukwu noticed them in the meeting and went to greet them, they replied his greeting and in a lukewarm manner and no one demanded his presence or attention in the meeting. From every indication, the meeting was where the plan to deal with our late brother was hatched. Yet we have not established any case of conspiracy, judging from the position of the rest of Okeikpa family members since the incident took place.

Then on Sunday 15th February 2009, Anthony Meribe, Jennifer’s father with his son Kenneth Meribe and two others now at large came around by 8.00am and tortured our brother to death.

During their period of torture, in our father’s parlour, there was no single soul from the Okeikpa Kindred that questioned what was going on upon our late brother’s screaming. One Ahuwaraezenma Agwulonu who heard the screaming and rushed to enquire of what was going on, was shunned by Anthony Meribe and his son Kenneth, threatening that they will kill him alongside with our late brother. He had to run away.

The following fact we are to buttress here has been hidden from the public before today and it is as if it is nothing.

Kenneth Meribe (first son of Anthony Meribe), Jennifer’s brother and accompanist to the murder case, sometime in the first week of February came home with his girl friend and found out that the key to their house was not kept at the usual place, he had to break it and stayed for the period without replacing the key only for the uncle Adolphus Meribe to find out and report to Kenneth’s father, Anthony Meribe who had to capitalize on the already existing conspiracy against our late brother Godswill to organize for his murder on the 15th of February 2009.

This is the simple crux of the matter that has lasted for six (6) years
now. The wife of Anthony Meribe Mrs. Charity Meribe is aware of this and instead of making reasonable effort to stop the raging fire, went on to threat that “I will perish your family should the arrest affect my son Kenneth, Anthony is enough for you”. This is a threat to our family, yet we did not start addressing it. Unfortunately Mrs. Meribe is in the mortuary as at the time of this write up.

The case file in question is in tact with the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) Aboh Mbaise and the Aboh Mbaise High Court. The former Judge Mrs. Ogwuruike was retired some months ago and has been replaced with another judge who is now handling the case. Plea has been taken and the Court is on vacation now and to resume on the 15th of this month of September, 2015.

 Contrary to Jennifer’s statement, autopsy was conducted and it was found out that our brother died as a result of a great shock and excessive loss of blood from his broken femur and tibia of the lower legs. There is a witness that narrated of what transpired between our brother and Anthony Meribe and his team of murderers. It is good to note that our brother was met by Police that assisted him to the hospital before he died and he made dying declaration before the police that is contained in the police report / investigation.

For further clarification, you may wish to contact either of the Ministry of Justice Imo State, the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) Aboh Mbaise or the Imo State Commissioner of Police for confirmation. Mr. Anthony Meribe is not in prison at Wetheral Road as claimed by Jennifer Ogechi Meribe (Jennifer Brown and Jennifer Smith of United Kingdom) rather he is awaiting trail (ATM) at the Imo State Prison Headquarters Okigwe Road Owerri, Imo State.

We would greatly appreciate the Human Right Groups, the Imo State Governor and all those that Jennifer has pleaded to, for help to avail themselves the opportunity to speak to the authorities handling this case to appreciate the level of deceit in her publication.

Finally, our advice to Jennifer and entire Anthony Meribe family is that ‘he who goes to equity must go with clean hands.’”

He further alleged that the family of the suspect had stopped at nothing to ensure that the case did not proceed at the court, noting that “the case even came up some days and we were not informed until few hours; all these are intended to make the court think that we no longer have interest and then the matter will be struck-out.”

dailypost extract

Are you kidding me??????Being detained since 2009 without trial??? COME ON!