According to what Vanguard reported yesterday, Tony, an aluminum dealer at the one of the markets in Abuja, was invited by his best friend to have drinks at a popular garden in Tungama area of Zuba in the outskirts of Abuja.
Tony, a father of two and a native of Umuagede village in Nsukka L.G.A. of Enugu State was said to have been reluctant at first to go but after much persuasion, he accepted and after the closed of business that day, he left for the bar at about 5pm where he met with his friend and other kinsmen.
After drinking, the men left in a convoy with Tony's car being the last in the convoy. While on their way, two men riding on a motorcycle drove close to Tony's car and shot him at close range.
Eyewitnesses say his best friend and other kinsmen did not stop to check on him, saying they thought the gunshots they heard were fireworks. However when they got to the scene of the incident, they were said to have been reluctant to take their friend to the hospital. Police officers from Zuba police station later arrived the scene and took Tony to the hospital where efforts to revive him by doctors failed and he was pronounced dead.
Police in partnership with private investigators hired by Tony's family launched a full scale investigation which led to the arrest of one of the suspects who stole the deceased phone. It was discovered that the suspect was a fellow shop owner in the same market with the late Tony. Much drilling by the police led to him confessing that Tony's best friend and kinsman contracted him and some others in their cult to murder his friend. He said they were paid N1.2million, some of them got N250,000 while others got N300,000 each.
Narrating how they carried out the murder operation, the suspect said Tony's best friend instructed them to get to the relaxation spot that day before them...
"He said that as soon as they were ready to go, his friend winked at them at the nearby table and they used their telephone to flash their colleagues who were positioned outside the area as a signal that they should proceed to hit their target. He further said they were told that he would be coming in a car behind. So, his friend quickly drove off in front with the deceased following behind and when they got to the point where they had to join the expressway, the friend in front drove faster. As soon as his friend entered the expressway two of the hired killers blocked the businessman’s car and one of them just pulled out his gun, approached the driver’s side and yanked open the door. While Eze was passionately pleading with them to take whatever they needed and spare his life, the armed man shot him point blank, picked his phone and sped off.’’police reports say
One of the deceased Family member identified as Simeon said the revelation by the police came as a rude shock to them.
"This is the greatest shock we have received in our area in recent times. That suspect is well known to all of us as Tony’s best friend. They used to travel together to China on business trips. In fact, he was closer to our brother than anybody in the family. Whenever we needed to advise our brother, we usually channeled it through this his friend who happens to come from Eha-Alumonah Community, a neighbouring town in Nsukka. Interestingly, this his friend was leading pallbearers during Tony’s burial. He was the first to arrive our compound before other of his friends and business partners arrived. He was shedding tears uncontrollably. Even after the burial, his wife prepared our traditional food for the bereaved family which friends usually partake in. I can remember vividly that a few days after Tony’s burial, the suspect told some members of our family that he (the deceased) owed some business associates a whooping sum of N12 million and there was urgent need to settle the debt but we swept it aside by telling him that it could come up after the mourning period. I will use this opportunity to thank the Nigeria Police Force and the private detectives for the success recorded so far because these startling confessions and arrests will go a long way to assuage our deep feeling of loss. (In tears) Now see, for how much did they take the precious life of this young, amiable, promising and easy-going young man? Who will train his children and take care of his young wife?"he said
Police say further investigation will still be carried out on the matter and the arrested suspects will be charged to court for murder soon.
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