A 33-year-old teacher, Mr Caleb Abuchi Omaka, has allegedly been beaten to death in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State by some vigilante group said to have been hired by his father-in-law. Omaka, a father of three, was said to have sustained severe injuries after the attack by men suspected to be members of a vigilante group at Ishielu community in Ohaukwu LGA of the state, and died two days after on December 1, 2023....CONTINUE READING
The deceased, popularly known in the area as ‘Papa Ejima’ was before his demise, a Social Studies and Marketing teacher at Doveland Grade Secondary School in Ishielu community of the council.
Residents of the area, who witnessed the assault on Omaka by his wife’s father, Nwiboko Obodo, revealed that Obodo decided to punish Omaka for impregnating his daughter when she was a student of a College of Education in the state and truncating her educational pursuit.
When The Point’s correspondent visited the community, some residents who did not want their names in print, hinted that Omaka’s problem started around six years ago during his days as an undergraduate of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, when he impregnated Obodo’s daughter while studying at the College of Education in Ikwo.
Omaka and the lady were said to be deeply in love and decided to formalise the union but the lady’s father who was obviously angry because the daughter got pregnant before graduation, refused to approve the proposed marriage.
The Point learnt that the denial of fatherly consent did not stop the lovers from living together and making more babies as Obodo’s disapproval only stopped them from having an official wedding ceremony.
Following the pregnancy, Obodo’s daughter, who was not able to combine studies and childbirth, dropped out of school to become a housewife to Omaka.
In an interview, a resident of the area, Raymond Onwe, revealed that the deceased was relaxing with his family on that fateful day when suddenly, Obodo, who is living in a neighbouring community, Amike, stormed his compound with a large number of vigilante men and forcefully took his daughter and her children.
Onwe disclosed that the arrest was prompted by the report Obodo made to his fellow guards against the late teacher, alleging that the deceased had abducted his daughter for six years.
He added that after the first pregnancy was noticed, late Omaka and his kinsmen had, on several occasions,gone to perform the marital rites on his wife, but were allegedly chased out of their would-be in-laws compound by his “supposed father in-law”, Obodo.
Onwe revealed that Omaka died as a result of the internal injuries inflicted on him by the security guards at Umuebe office two days after the incident and called for the arrest of all perpetrators.
He said, “Since the past six years, late Caleb Omaka had contacted many stakeholders of the council area who accompanied him to his father-in-law and pleaded for forgiveness to enable him to perform his marriage obligations, but the man bluntly refused to forgive him for being the reason his daughter’s academic pursuit was truncated.
“During the man’s travail, around 8.00pm of Wednesday, 29th November, 2023; he was tied, both hands and feet by the guards who demanded to be settled with a crate of beer and N10,000 cash as the only conditions for Mr Omaka’s freedom.”
“Due to Omaka’s inability to provide the people with their demands, he was subjected to serious torture until his boss and Proprietor of Doveland School, Dr Emeka Ejeh, and other staff as well as one Mr Sunday, helpedhim with the said items,” Onwe narrated.
The School Proprietor, Dr Ejeh, in an interview, said that as soon as he was informed about Omaka’s arrest,he contacted his principal and the school dean and, through their collective intervention, Omaka was released.
Ejeh regretted that after the release of his late staff, when he was contemplating on the best way to approach his in-law for an amicable settlement, the sad news of his death filtered in.
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“During the period, I only witnessed that the guards had tied Omaka’s feet and put locally made handcuffs on him because of his inability to provide the requested items, but after we had settled, he was immediately allowed to go home,” Ejeh said.
Efforts to get reactions from Omaka’s family and the accused vigilante men proved abortive.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed that some of the vigilante men had already been arrested in connection with the incident and assured that they would be charged to court after investigation.
