70-year-old man arrested over alleged murder in Abia

The Abia State Police Command, on Sunday, confirmed the arrest of a 70-year-old man, Mr Nwokocha Stephen Irobunda, over the alleged shooting to death of a 30-year-old man, Mr Bright Odizuru, in Ohokobe Ndume, Umuahia North LGA of Abia State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, said following information to the Ehimiri Police Station, the police went in and rescued the suspect from a mob that was about to lynch him.

“The police have such a report. The crime scene has been visited and investigation is ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department”, she said.

PUNCH Metro gathered that following the limitation of movement by the state government because of the Local Government election on Saturday, some youths were playing football during the period at a point close to the man’s house, ignoring the septuagenarian’s warning to stop.
“Probably, after a series of warnings, the youths ignored him, leading to an altercation between the aged man and the youths”, a source told our correspondent on Sunday.
It was gathered that the man fired in the air to scare away the youths. The youths ran away and in response, regrouped and went back to Irobunda’s house to know why he was trying to intimidate them with gunshots.

The source disclosed that the alleged killer went inside his house, picked up his dane gun and shot at them and the young Bright who was said to be from Ohuhu in the same Local Government Area and whose maternal home is Ohokobe, was shot at the abdomen, leading to his death in a hospital.
The incident was said to have resulted in the youths of Ohokobe Mbaocha being angry and pounced on the suspect, trying to lynch him and destroy his house before the intervention of the police, who pleaded with the angry youths to allow them to arrest him.

Meanwhile, the suspect is in police custody, while an investigation is on.