Barnabas and Amaka Igwe: Who killed these Icons?  

On the first day of September, 2002, Barnabas Igwe and his beautiful wife Amaka where on their way back home after a visit to their mutual friends when they were ambushed by well armed criminals at a popular junction at Onitsha, Anambra state, Nigeria. So horrific and wicked was the attack that it left Amaka with machete cuts that almost severed one of her lower limbs from her waist in addition to back cuts that left her back folded, she was dealt heavier blows as she pleaded with the stone hearted devils to spare her for the sake of the unborn baby she was carrying at the time. According to eye witnesses, “she died instantly”. Barnabas Igwe, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Onitsha branch was stabbed, cut and shot and as if not enough, they ran his own car over him to ensure his death. Shots were then fired by the goons as they disappeared to scare away witnesses who watched the scary event unfold.

To say this act was astonishingly barbaric is to emphasize the least, it was so callous, vicious and devilish that it drew the immediate attention of foreign, especially the western press whose analysis described the awe felt internationally at such heartless murder unrivalled even in the drug related Sicily or Colombia ganglands. Like Don Crucifixo’s hatchet man who was willing to raze down a $20 million family fortress just to conceal possible traces to his crime, so where these terrors willing to sacrifice these priceless innocent gems to score malicious political points. The New York Times at that time reported the incident in full details which I understand effectively removed the scales off the Governor’s eye hence his decision to cut short his trip and rush back home immediately.

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This senselessness occurred at the time Anambra was witnessing one of its lowest points in eight years in the hands of rogues I will refer to as the ‘clique,’ empowered by the then autocratic emperor to suppress, choke and suffocate the people of the state.

The Igwe’s were brave enough to speak up in climes were the tough hearted dreaded make a critic; where the courage of men failed them in the face of daring political brutality. This most abominable act happened as planned on the aforementioned date and someone was already primed to be blamed both naturally and artificially.

Sure, everyone looked the side of Chinwoke Clement Mbadinuju aka Odera, Anambra’s most failed and shameless Governor whose tenure popularly witnessed the delay in payment of statutory salaries and pensions for nine long months. It is now old and stale news that state funds meant for these purposes were channeled into personal political fights, settlements, bribery and aggrandizement.

But, was it really Mbadinuju that committed this crime? Why was this dastardly act carried out with such brutality? Was this deliberately done to send a message of fear to other government critics? Was there a specific reason for choosing the popular junction known for its heavy human traffic to carry out this crime as against the usually secluded and home target preferred by assassins?

What of the theory that, Mbadinuju never had a hand but was framed by the ‘clique’ so to raise the already heightened hatred against him hence preventing his possible second term election? If it was a government plot, why would the architects of this supposedly ‘state sponsored assassination’ allow the use of similar tactics deployed by its own vigilante outfit in the full glare of witnesses? Would Mbadinuju have ‘foolishly’ ordered the killing of his most ascerbic critics, when at an election period he knew it would be counterproductive for which there would be dire consequences?

Due to the barbaric manner of this sodomic act, I took interest and have laboured to piece together this puzzle for the past six years.

I established contact with several well placed and informed policemen and detectives back home through a link enabled by a long term friend. After years of persuasion, these men after extracting a firm pledge and commitment from me not to divulge their names and positions (which I am going to keep to the fullest), were willing to give me hints and clues as to the real people that carried out this cowardly act.

I was going to name the names of these three core members of the ‘clique’ who allegedly masterminded this act, but my counsels over here advised against it basing their professional opinion on lack of tangible evidence. They affirmed that despite the fact the pieced puzzle made a lot of sense and meaning (considering their own independent analysis), I should not mention names as that was left for the law courts, besides it was a murder case which is considered very delicate. I was sad I couldn’t punch these social misfits below the belt.

Nevertheless, my police sources informed me explicitly that it would be foolhardy and naïve to suspect Mbadinuju as the person behind the crime as it would have been the height of stupidity for the man to order such a high profile killing at that time and with such popular tactic; they claimed the man was being deliberately blackmailed and framed by the ‘system’. The despicable act they said was planned and carried out centrally by the trio of a former notorious godfather whose illiteracy is annoyingly stark, a dreadful looking House of Representatives member from the state who was at that time a Security Adviser to Mbadinuju and a former Works Commissioner who was recently docked in relation to the same crime. They alleged the plot though without the knowledge of a former Presidential Aide who had a paramount interest in who ruled that state considering his own five year plan and stunted ambition at the time, later got to know the culprits and has utilized the frame up as a tool to his advantage to hound the ex governor. This ex aide who goes about with a bogus academic title which he can’t justify both verbally and intellectually is said to be the reason why the case refuses to die despite court rulings. The logistics, recruitment and mobilisation of the squad was done by the Representative member, he was the one that got in touch with dissident members of the Bakassi boys who had fallen out with the group and marshaled them to ensure the deed was done brutally.

They described the co-opting of the police hierarchy through massive bribes and power intimidation to hang it on Mbadinuju which was primed to eventually lead to his trial, conviction, imprisonment and elimination in prison by means of food poisoning or an attack orchestrated by an arranged scuffle or brawl with a prisoner or prisoners respectively.

These amiable and loving icons were killed in such manner not because their killers had anything against them but because they (killers) were basically out to discredit Mbadinuju and enable the disbandment of the Bakkassi Boys who posed a real threat to their sweeping plans and rigging plots towards the 2003 election.

Mbadinuju in political and security circles was considered a “lily livered figure head” on whom anything can be hung, this was based on his lack luster, cowardly and double speaking personality. “He had no mind of his” and was adjudged to suffer from a weak ability to decipher his true enemies from friends hence the workability of the set up plot by moles and insiders in his woefully failed government. He was proverbially referred to as someone who called for prayers in the morning but consorted with demons in the night.

My sources, insisted that the current move to hang it yet again on the man despite a court ruling to the contrary was due to another massive flow of funds to the new case’ handlers considering the fact “Mbadinuju has started opening his wide mouth and even bidding for political positions in the new dispensation”.

They asked me a pointed question that made some sense. They asked if I couldn’t see the similarity in the heartlessness displayed in the killing as compared to that displayed in the July 2003 gubernatorial abduction, 2004 rampage across the state and eventual burning down of the government house. They (sources) confidently assured me, the culprits were the same persons actively involved in the three different scenarios and their dare devilry was what actually scared Emeka Offor to abandon his god fathership and Anambra politics for his oil servicing business.

The final revelation of these men to me is that all the security agencies knew the predators responsible and have detailed evidence linking them to the crime but for greed, selfish and pecuniary gains have decided to protect them; infact they charged me to write this truth to the world as the Police would never name the real killers for as long as PDP remains in power, any attempt at this summersault they say would lead to a ‘networked implosion that would expose the Bola Ige, A.K. Dikibo, Marshal Harry and Ayo Daramola truths’ thereby exposing other big names across the divide. They inadvertently put a truth to Wole Soyinka’s “nest of killers” tag on the ruling party.

That is the summary in a nutshell of what got revealed to me recently by brave upright officers who have had the misfortune of finding themselves in one of the most backward organizations in the country called the Nigeria Police Force, an inefficient, morally depraved and decaying ‘Force’ within which millions of lives have been destroyed through cover ups, grand deceptions, extra judicial killings and deliberate falsification of data to implicate innocent citizens. A decaying, foul smelling organization which has failed from time immemorial to police and protect the people averagely, preferring to connive with both highly and lowly placed criminal elements to afflict the people. They only excel excellently in check point robberies and are professionals in just one thing which is taking to their heels whenever they hear staccatos signaling the presence of rampaging criminals.

I express my profound love and best wishes to the Igwe children, the immediate and extended family that have had to live with this over the past six years. I urge you to remain strong, holding out to each other with love and comfort pending when the Almighty surely grants you justice against these dregs.

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Barnabas and Amaka, you fought for the redemption of Anambra more than the Anambriarians themselves; out of sincere love for the people you made worthy sacrifices without considering indigeneship or ethnic sentiments. You both served as the voice of the helpless who were continuously suppressed and chastised for no fault of theirs. You shall forever be remembered for the indelible mark you left when the ‘Igbo leaders’ and socio cultural organizations chose to keep quiet and look the other way; they sadly did so while chaos was elevated by the God forsaken. Though you are better informed were you are, let me ‘jist’ you a little bit, the government for which they moved against you was formed the next year but in weeks after inauguration they were at each others throats, they ended up pulling the whole house down and as a result the state produced five governors in a single dispensation, even Ariyibi’s conclave never produced so much governors, it was a shame. The piper who remotely dictated the tune finally ‘emerged governor’ through a despicable process but he lasted 17 days. He was booted out and today he hallucinates at the pipe dream of a ‘governor in waiting’. I am sure you both pocked fun at this divinely influenced mockery.

Today, a progressive minded government, the type you fought for sits at Awka and all workers and pensioners are paid as at when due. Though not impressive, socio economic infrastructures in the state are getting a little bit developed amidst all sorts of selfish claims and bickering. Your darling Anambra is still not yet were it should be, despite claims to all sorts of blueprints and ideologies the state still crawls on its belly.

Continue to rest in peace, you both surely exist in a better place from were you look and mock at the shortsightedness of these despicable hounds destined for hades. Theirs was an exercise in futility. You tower high above them in all ramifications.

May God bless your souls as you recline joyously at His feet. Amen.

By Norris Benedict

London, UK