www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/sept/23/national-23-09-2011-001.html

Bizarre! Chief priest sacrifices
varsity student at cult’s altar
Suspect in police custody
From CHUKS ONUOHA, Umuahia
Friday September 23, 2011
Achief priest of Okonko Cult,
Chief Emenike Umogariko has
allegedly sacrificed a 200- level
student of Political Science of the
Abia State University (ABSU),
Uturu at the altar of the cult in
Umuopara village, Mkpa , Bende
Local Government Area of Abia
State. The victim, Ekenna Sunday
Ugochukwu, had the left side of
his face (including his ear)
cutoff.
The machete cut exposed the
victim’s teeth. His friend, who
took him to the hospital before
he died, Iheanyichukwu
Nwokoro, told Daily Sun said he
had to tear his shirt and used it
to tie the dangling part of the
victim’s face to his head.“We
later rushed him to Tochi
Hospital, Uzuakoli, where doctors
rejected him, saying that his case
was beyond them and referred
him to Federal Medical Hospital,
Umuahia.
“But before we could take him to
the Federal Medical Centre, he
died.”
Two other victims, who were
allegedly attacked by the chief
priest, managed to escape with
serious machete cuts and are
now at the Intensive Care Unit of
Federal Medical Centre,Umuahia.
The incident took place in
Umuopara, a village that has
common boundary with
Amediaba, in Mkpa, the home
town of Prof. Obioma, an uncle
of the deceased. Residents of the
surrounding communities
expressed disbelief that an
incident of that nature could take
place.
Daily Sun gathered that trouble
started when the Okonko priest
was found guilty of a certain
offence, which the fine was one
goat. The goat must be
slaughtered the same night and
eaten by members. Members,
who gathered at the Okonko’s
house for the annual midnight
ritual, which comes up a week
after the community’s new yam
festival, fined him one goat,
which they converged on his
house to eat as practised by the
cult .
As the people were deliberating
on the issue in the hall, little did
they know that the chief priest
had sneaked out of the hall, gone
to his house and taken his
cutlass. He hid the weapon under
his flowing cult gown and sat in
the darkest corner of the hall. He
thereafter beckoned on one of
those deliberating but the man
refused to go, insisting that if
the priest had anything to say,
he should come out and say it.
Daily Sun gathered further that
the deliberation centred on his
alleged offence, but unknown to
them, the Okonko priest had a
different plan.
As the chief priest delayed
leaving the dark area, many of
those in the hall were already
dosing off when, Umogariko
allegedly stood up, moved close
to where the victim sat and had
slept off. He drew his cutlass and
dealt a deadly blow on
Ugochukwu, who shouted and
rushed out with the fatal wound.
The chief priest attacked a
second person and a third,
waving his cutlass and daring
anyone to come close. Everyone
took to his heels in fear, while he
escaped into the bush. With his
blood gushing out Ugochukwu
rushed to his friend,
Iheanyichukwu, pleading that he
be rushed to a hospital. The
victim’s friend told Daily Sun that
he tried everything he could to
save him but Ugochukwu died
on the way to the hospital.
A relative of the victim, Dr Agu
Ogbonnaya said the family was
suspecting a foulplay. He alleged
that it was possible that
members of the cult sacrificed
the university student at their
altar and only gave the other
two people, who are members of
their own village mild machete
cuts as a cover-up.
“How come that Ugochukwu,
who is not from that village is
the one that was killed on the
spot and the others are receiving
treatment at the hospital. There
is more to this than the eyes can
see and the family intends to get
to the root of the matter. We are
only waiting for the family head
before we can take a step on the
matter,” Ogbonnaya said.
When Daily Sun visited
Umuopara village, the female
goat which was seized by
members of the cult, which
probably sparked off the trouble
was still tied inside the Okonko’s
house. Daily Sun gathered that
angry youths gathered in their
hundreds and razed down the
house of the chief priest. They
apprehended and dragged him
to Uzuakoli Police Station.
The Assistant Commissioner of
Police in charge of state CID, Mr
Micloth Joseph confirmed the
incident. Joseph said the incident
happened immediately after the
new yam festival, adding that
the suspect was in police
custody. He added that
investigation into the incident
was going on.

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