Chioma Okezie-Okeh
The quest to be wealthy and be addressed, as “the youngest richest man” in his community is the reason 18-year-old Nwaolisa Kelvin Uzor and two others at large killed his uncle’s seven-year-old twins. While it sounds unbelievable, that was the cold-blooded, spine-chilling confession of a suspect who is presently in police custody. The grisly incident happened on March 6, 2020, in Oko Ogbele community in Oshimili Local Government in Delta State.
The morbid affair started in the evening when Oliseh Agwunobi, the father of the victims, reported his children, twins Chiagozie and Chidalu Agwunobi missing. He pointed an accusing finger at one of his relatives, Onuwa Ajie Oliseh who was last seen with the children.
Tragically, mutilated bodies of the twins were found in the bush two days later, with eyes, tongues, hands and penises missing. A few days later, detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) tracked down one of the suspects to Anambra State, while efforts are still ongoing to bring the others to book.
In the meantime, the bereaved family had retrieved the corpses from the General Hospital where they were deposited.
Testament of an 11-year-old
Police got their first break from 11-year-old Iweka Oliseh who witnessed the abduction of the twins. The Primary Four pupil claimed he was initially contacted by his brother, Onuwa Ajei Oliseh, who is one of the two suspects at large, to assist him to lure the twins from their school.
Iweka said: “On March 5, at about 6:30 am, my elder brother Onuwa Oliseh asked me if I will go to school. I told him yes and he asked if I could help him to bring out the twins from the school before the school closes that day. I told him no, that the teacher will not agree. That same day when I came back from school, I saw my brother Onuwa place a well-sharpened machete on the table where he was eating while I went to the backyard. I saw him move to the twins’ house because we all lived in the same compound. It was later that same night that I heard from the community that the children were missing.”
Further insights came from the Primary Four pupil, Iweka: “He (Onuwa) came back home with his hands stained with blood. He then asked me to pour water on his hand as he washed his machete.”
After the bloody deed, Onuwa allegedly went to the house of Uzor and both of them travelled to Anambra.
Agwunobi Oliseh, 52, father of the twins said: “On March 6, before my children left for school, Onuwa Ajie Oliseh came to my house and inquired if my children will go to school and he was told yes. Later we heard Onuwa told his younger brother, Iweka to help him bring out the twins from their school that he wanted to take them somewhere. The school authority also told us that later that day he went to their school to try and take them and was chased away by their teacher. He waited for them at home and as soon as they came back, he came to the house and asked them to follow him to the stream. I believe that it was while they were on the way that he brought out the cutlass and killed them.”
The bereaved father continued: “It was when I came back later in the day with my wife that I realized that the twins were missing. While I was running around, Iweka, the little brother of Onuwa, told me that it was his brother that took my children. Onuwa ran away but we were able to find Uzor who told us where bodies were dumped. We went there and found their mutilated bodies with eyes, tongue and hands removed from.”
A broken-hearted Agwunobi lamented: “I am still in shock because I find it hard to believe that it was Onuwa and Uzor that planned it. Both are children of my blood brothers.”
The root of the evil
What could have led young men to commit such evil? That is the question on the lips of all who heard this story. Nwaolisa Kelvin Uzor, the suspect in the police’s net, provided the answer.
While he insisted that he was not responsible for the killings of the victims, he, however, admitted that he knew Onuwa, now at large, wanted to use the twins for money ritual––on their behalf.
Uzor, a school dropout and a farmer explained his motivation for seeking wealth by hook or by crook. “Life is very hard as a farmer and normally after the day’s work, the young men will gather to play ball and discuss ways to better our lives. So many young men who are into Yahoo Yahoo are doing very well in my village. Since I am not educated enough, I knew that was not an option for me.
“One of such days while we were hanging out, one of my friends, Chukwudi Ogbunaigwe suggested that another way of making money was through ritual. He was so desperate he tasked us to find any good native doctor that can assist us. It was then that Onuwa said that he knew one who is based in Aguleri but that it will involve human sacrifice. I told them that I am not interested in anything that involves the killing of a human being. I asked them to go ahead but told them I will not be partaking in any killing.”
According to him, they started suggesting people whom they could use for the purpose. “Onuwa said that we should use our uncle’s children. I told him not to do that; then they suggested another old woman in our area. She is known as Nne Amaka, but I pleaded with him not to use her because she is very nice and very generous, if you are passing by and beg her for water, she will give you water and even food. I never knew that he concluded in his mind to kill our uncle’s twins until he came to my house later that day with their body parts,” Kelvin alleged.
On why it was easy for Onuwa to pick the twins, Kelvin claimed it was because they were all related and live in the same compound.
“It is a village setting where brothers and family members build houses close to each other. We know ourselves, that was why the children trusted him. Immediately he finished, he came to my house that was when it dawned on me that he had killed them. I asked him to take the body parts and go before anyone would see him. I was panicking and came out to the compound to show solidarity so that no one will suspect me. It was then I heard Iweka his younger brother telling everyone that it was Onuwa who took the twins and that he came earlier to their school to pick them but failed.
“Everyone started asking me where Onuwa was; they alleged that if he abducted those children, I must know something about it. That was why as soon as I got the opportunity, I ran away to Anambra.
It was from there I sent a message to them directing them to where they can find the dead bodies. I knew the location because Onuwa told me where he killed them. He told me he sold their hands for N2, 000 while he took the other parts to one herbalist in Aguleri, Anambra State.”
Uzor added remorsefully: “Now everyone has concluded I am the one who killed the twins. It is only Onuwa that will clear my name.”
The suspect admitted his greatest mistake was his failure to alert the parents of the twins. “I should have informed my family when Onuwa suggested that we should use the twins. I love those twins so much and their parents are nice,” he said.
He pleaded: “I am begging my brothers to wait till Onuwa is arrested; then they will know that I was not in the bush when he killed them.”
Asked why he was gullible for such a sinister plan, Kelvin responded thus: “I was hoping to make money and ride big cars and build houses. I wanted to become a young chief because most of these young boys did not work as hard as I did and now they are millionaires.”