Anambra: Catastrophe Surrounds Man’s Burial *As Police Docks Two Octogenarian Widows*

FROM OUR COMMUNITY MONITOR’S DESK (AWKA)

There is possible pandemonium surrendering the burial of late Mr. Francis Okafor from Ajkapana village Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State bid to hold on August 25th, 2023 as the State Police Command, last Thursday stormed, arrested and detained two women in their late eighties, Mrs. Veronica Onugha and Mrs. Ijeoma Onunkwo (nee Okafor) on the instigation of the widows stepbrother’s sons, accused to have misused the father of the women’s property.

The female octogenarians, it was gathered are contending that the remains of their stepbrother (late Mr. Francis Okafor) should not be laid to rest until the sons of the deceased account for the property of the women’s late father(J. B. Ok for) that have been under the management of the women’s stepbrother (now deceased).

It was gathered authoritatively that Mrs. Veronica Ifeyinwa Oyibo Onugha (nee Okafor, Mrs. Mary Ijeoma Okongwu(nee Okafor), and Mr. Jonathan  Bide Emeka Okafor are from the first wife while Mr. Francis Okafor (now late) is from the second wife of late Mr. J. B Okafor and the major contention is that Mrs. Veronica  Ifeyinwa Oyibo Onugha (nee Okafor) is the executor of their late father’s will.

The carmel’s back was broken when Mr. J. B Okafor was laid to rest over thirty years ago. It was then, we gathered his son from the second wife, (Mr. Francis Okafor, (now late), allegedly stepped in their late father’s shoe by acquiring the property of their late father, including a two-storey building in Ilorin, Kwara State without recourse that his stepsister, Mrs. Veronica Ifeyinwa Oyibo Onugha (nee Okafor) is the executor of the will of their late father.

Recall that there are series of court cases between the women, their late stepbrother, and the son of the deceased challenging the alleged actions of the late Francis Okafor accused to have mismanaged millions of Naira and other property of their late father, without minding that the executor of the will of their late father is Mrs. Veronica Ifeyinwa Oyibo Onugha (nee Okafor).

However, before the demise of Mr. Francis Okafor, Mrs. Veronica Ifeyinwa Oyibo Onugha (nee Okafor), their father’s executor of the Will, had requested fair sharing of the said will between the two houses(Mkpuke) but instead of doing the needful, the deceased, it was gathered, paid deaf ears to the demand of his siblings as he allegedly sidelined his stepbrother and stepsisters as it concerned about the property of their late father.

“It is on this premise that we demanded that our stepbrother’s remains should not be buried until we resolved the matter. His remains are our joint responsibility but the right things need to be done proper. We have called the elders of our family to address the issue but none of them seems to be interested. 

“Instead of accepting to do the right thing, the sons of our stepbrother decided to start from where their father stopped by intimidating us with police and even thugs, claiming that nothing on earth will stop them from burying our stepbrother.

“Without recourse to our stand, they came home, embarked on the renovation of our building not-minding that the house they claimed they are renovating is jointly owned, and in trying to ask questions, they brought in police and arrested us and locked us up”. The octogenarians lamented.

At the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Awka, it is alleged that the Investigating Police Officer, with undisclosed particulars, had allegedly extorted undisclosed thousands of Naira as the bail fee of the old women before they were released late last night. 

Efforts to reach the Anamba State Police Command PPRO, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu for comment proved abortive as his phone kept repeating ‘Not available now, call back later’ Even a text sent to him was not replied to as at the time filing this report. We are going to keep you posted as more facts emerge.