Hunter kills kinsman who came to mediate quarrel with wife

…Accuses deceased of meddling in his marital affairs

From Wilson Okereke

A local hunter, Sunday Akpa Nwammahi, has reportedly gunned down his kinsman, Amos Akpa at Ezekporoke Village, Onicha Igboeze Community, in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The father of three children was shot to death for allegedly meddling in a marital misunderstanding between the assailant (Nwammahi) and his wife.

It was learnt that prior to the sorrowful morning of Saturday, May 20, there was a problem involving the suspect, the wife and his step brother, Emeka Akpa Nwammahi during the wake of a certain woman in the part of the same village called Ndiegu. The hunter allegedly engaged his spouse and brother in a fight, but through the swift intervention of some youths at the venue of the event, the people were separated and advised to refrain from causing further disturbance.

Shortly after, Sunday perhaps out of anger left the event for his home, an action which invariably brought normalcy in the area until around 5:30 a.m of the fateful day when the village youth leader, out of magnanimity directed Amos and three other men to return the woman alongside her brother in-law. 

The emissaries were to possibly advise all the parties in the issue on the need to live in peace without knowing that the aggrieved hunter had different plans as he shot Amos to death in the process of resolving the matter.

A member of the bereaved family, Ndubuisi Akpa told our reporter that there was no iota of trouble between his late brother who was a motorcycle mechanic before his brutal end and his assailant that could warrant such dastardly act. 

He added that Amos was among the four youth delegates sent to return the woman and her brother in-law home, but unfortunately, the accused having noticed the movement of the two motorcycles used by the four men towards his compound, hurriedly went into hiding with his gun.

He narrated that while the delegates were busy advising the woman and her brother in-law, suddenly the hunter shot from his hideout, snuffed life away from the mechanic and disappeared into thin air.

“We were together with Amos in our family compound on Saturday night before he left for the wake, but he had not returned from the place before I left home too for Abakaliki in the same morning, this is why, I found it difficult to believe when I got the information from the first person that broke the news to me on phone.

“But after receiving the same story from other relatives, I quickly drove to my house in Abakaliki and notified them that there was need for me to rush back to the village, only for me to arrive the killer’s compound and found my brother dead,” he lamented.

Ndubuisi expressed dismay on how such a promising young man was gruesomely killed for being kind. 

He appealed to the authorities to ensure that justice was done over the incident.

Another resident of the area, Christopher Mbe, alleged that the killer-hunter after fighting with his wife at the place of the wake equally vowed that he would not live with the woman as husband and wife any longer. 

He explained that it may have been because of that threat, that Sunday decided to hurt the mediators by causing the death of Amos Akpa for trying to force the woman upon him.

Mbe said: “While the wake was going on, suddenly Sunday Akpa Nwammahi in his usual manner of engaging in marital crisis began to fight with his wife without any known cause and along the line, he tore her clothe. Then, some of the youths having felt disturbed over the incident, instructed the hunter to leave the place for his compound.

“The action was taken with the intention to stop further quarrel between the couple without having the knowledge that the same man whom the people were trying to restore peace in his home would turn against the sympathizers by shooting Amos to death.”

According to Mbe, the alleged killer had tried to resist the people’s intervention, but when he could not withstand the level of persuasion; he decided to hurt them, and in the process killed Amos.

A witness who wished not to be mentioned told this reporter that the fight actually started between Sunday and his step brother, Emeka, but after the wife condemned the act, saying it was an embarrassment to the family, the hunter became infuriated and descended on her.

The killer-hunter’s compound was burnt down by some aggrieved youths of the village while his whereabouts were still unknown as at the time of filing this report.