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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
On January 19, 2023, tragedy struck at Abor community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. The villagers woke up to the devastating news of the death of four of persons in one house.
Peter Okolongwu, 58, from Amebo Amukwu village reportedly died early in the morning. The next day, his 50-year-old wife, Petronilla (nee Ozongwu) died under similar circumstances.
Also, Okolongwu’s niece, Divine-Favour, 15, and 13-year-old nephew, David, who returned for Christmas holiday, and were staying with the couple, also died, few days apart. Divine-Favour and David gave up the ghost on January 20 and 26, respectively.
One year later, the deaths have pitched the Okolongwus against the Ozongwus. The two families, who lost their loved ones in the incident are yet to reach common ground on the matter.
Last Sunday, the Ozongwu family boycotted a memorial Mass in honour of the deceased by the Okolongwu family at the St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Abor. They held a separate Thanksgiving service at St Joseph’s Catholic Church Ukana, their hometown.
According to Chikaogwu Ozongwu, a relative to late Petronilla, the family decided to boycott the church service due to lack of effort to resolve the mystery behind the tragic incident by the family of his sister’s husband.
He said that a forensic autopsy was performed by a team of pathologists at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu adding that autopsy was also performed on Mr. Peter Okolongwu and Miss Favor Peter.
He said: “If you ask me, I would say it was strange that where four persons were lost, it is the family that lost one person that you can see that they are out to find an answer but the family that lost three is silent. Efforts that we took to uncover the cause of death were frustrated by the other family. When the result came out, we waited for them to at least announce the result.
“The whole town was waiting to know the result. There was nothing from them. So we decided to release the report because we waited for them but that did not happen. So we felt that we should be able to tell them what happened. We waited for them. We were blackmailed and all sorts of things were rife as to what might have caused their death.
“Our kindred thought it proper to inform them since they have the results but refused to put it out. We sent them a letter and months have passed, yet there has not been a word from them. In fact, what we have come to understand is that they are not being very sincere in their dealings with us. So, our people decided that we better not be on the path of this one-year mass with them.”
While narrating efforts made by the family to resolve the case, Chikaogwu regretted that the Okolongwus were nonchalant about resolving the case, adding that it was possible that they do not believe in orthodox means of resolving such issues.
“When it happened, because of how strange and sudden it was, four deaths within a space of hours, it was very suspicious. But because we were not sure of what it was at that point, my kindred officially went to her husband’s place to ask them certain questions relating to the death. We did not get any satisfactory answers from anybody.
“But they told us that they were as surprised as ourselves, that they also knew that it was a strange death and that the circumstances surrounding the death were suspicious, and that they will not leave any stone unturned to unravel it.
“We paid a visit to the traditional ruler of Abor. We also paid another visit to the chairman of the village and the chairman of the kindred. These were not just one visit, there were several visits. We wanted to unravel all of these and they were of the view that if we can, on our own make any efforts towards unraveling it ourselves that it is welcome. That whatever we can do on our own, that they are on their own doing what they can do, that it is a strange thing that has never happened in the town.
“But again there were very spurious and concocted narratives and conspiracy theories of what caused it. One of their brothers who died between 12 and 15 years ago, you know such conspiracy theories just to explain away the death. Of course, we know that when evil people strike, they will want to camouflage it with one thing or the other.
“So, we on our own do not understand the spirit angle. We took it on ourselves to go the orthodox way as science can at least prove what happened. So, we started that journey, had a very forensic autopsy which took place both in Nigeria and in the US and after some time the result came back and the cause of death was determined to be poison.”
In a letter written to the leaders of Abor community and the Okolongwu family, the Ozongwus indicated that samples for toxicology analysis were sent to Forensic Toxicology Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria and Pennsylvania, USA for forensic toxicology analysis.
They said that the result which was contained in the autopsy report and released by the Legal Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Nigeria Police Headquarters, Enugu showed offthat the cause of death was poison (mixed organophosphate and methanol poisoning).
They said: “By explanations by pathologists it was by ingestion. Meaning that it was a poison that was ingested. We felt that we were able to hold something. We had this autopsy with the same family in Abor but when the result came out they went silent.
“And there were things that were reported to have been said by the family so we are waiting for the time to come so that people will actually come out to own up to whatever that was said. In summary, we have tried to escalate this matter to level but it seems they don’t even regard the autopsy.”
A representative of the Umu-Azoribe kindred, Victor Ozongwu, recalled the shock with which they received the news of the mysterious deaths a year ago, accusing the Okolongwu family of unseriousness. He noted that the kindred will soon decide the next line of action over the matter.
“The news was shocking to everyone in the family. That was the worst day as far as this family is concerned. We are not satisfied with efforts made by the family of our sister’s husband because they are not pushed.
“We are not satisfied with the way they are handling the issue. I don’t know how I will put it but they are not serious about it. For now, we’ve not come to a conclusion as to what next will do. We have handed the matter over to God. It is now left for the other family to do their path,” he said.
