A former Chairman of the Owerri chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ndionyema Nwankwo, has been gruesomely murdered in his office in the Imo State capital.
The former Chairman, 64, who hails from Arochukwu in Abia State, was reportedly murdered in his office at School Road, Owerri on Saturday.
The development was confirmed in a statement by the Secretary of the NBA in the state, Chinedu Agu, on Sunday.
Agu said Nwankwo left home on Saturday and did not return, a development that made his family members become curious.
He said one of those who shared office with Nwankwo, Ishmael Nkwocha, who went to check out the office based on the enquiries by the family, was to find the entrance door locked and with blood stains when he got there on Sunday.
The matter was then reported to the police, with Agu adding in the statement: “When the forensic experts arrived at 9:56am with their gadgets, they opened the door only for us to find his bulky frame lying lifeless inside his office in the pool of his congealed blood.”
Agu on a closer observation, Nwankwo appeared to have been gruesomely machetted by his assailant, following cuts seen on his neck, which he said was almost being severed from his head.
He said splashes of blood were seen on the roof, fans, printer, computers, table, files, seats, books and bookshelves inside his office, suggesting that he might have been engaged his assailants in a struggle.
Agu said Nwankwo was suspected to have been busy working as his printer, computer, standing fan were on while a writing pad containing jottings unrelated to the incident and a pen were found on his desk.
He said: “A bucket of water was seen in his office, with which the assailants might have washed their hands and machete used in this act.
“A search of the office revealed a machete abandoned inside the toilet in his office with which the assailant was suspected to have used to cut his neck.
“When his body which lay half prostrate was turned, machete cuts were seen on his wrist also and the footprints captured by forensic experts suggested the act was done by two persons as the two footprints were unidentical.
“As at the time of this report, Forensic Experts were still gathering evidential materials for their use accompanied by myself, L.C Ugorji, Uche Osuji, Ishmael Nkwocha, J.I Ogamba, D.O Nosike and a host of other Lawyers.”
Nwankwo’s driver, who was the only person with him in the office on Saturday, was nowhere to be found.
So also were his car and phones missing.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner, Imo State Police Command, Nasiru Mohammed, said the matter was being investigated.
In a statement by the Command’s spokesman, Orlando Ikeokwu, on Sunday, Mohammed vowed that the police were doing everything they would to unravel the mystery while efforts were being made to arrest the fleeing suspects.
