•Mrs. Agwuoke Shulammite
Mrs. Agwuoke Shulammite, sister to fashion designer Jephthah Onuh, shares with Saturday PUNCH the harrowing ordeal of her family over the death of her father following the arrest of her brother (Jephthah Onuh), a cousin named Chukwumaraoke Ositadimma, and their neighbour, Okwe Onwukaike. The trio, she said, were arrested and taken to an unknown destination by gunmen dressed in military and police uniforms in 2023
Can you describe in detail how your younger brother, Jephthah Onuh, was arrested?
On September 18, 2023, around 2 am, men in army and police uniforms came to my father’s compound with over five armored tanks. They said they were looking for a particular cousin of mine known as Udeh Chukwuebuka popularly known as Hardway. The whole house was searched but they couldn’t find him. My brother Onuh Jephthah and another cousin of mine, Ositadimma were then handcuffed by the men. They then went to the next compound and picked another man, Okwe Onwukaike who is 30 years old. They then hauled the three of them into their vehicles like criminals. Chukwumaraoke Ositadimma is 35 years old. He was in the same room with my brother. They are all from Ezioha Mgbowo in Awgwu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
We all live in a family compound but everyone has their own building. Occasionally as cousins, we all sleep in the same rooms to keep our bonds and on the day these boys were arrested, my brother Jephthah Onuh and Chukwumaraoke Ositadimma were in Chukwuebuka’s room sleeping.
Immediately they left my mum went to meet with one Mr. Uche Ohagwu a forest guard commandant who happens to be the only security personnel close by and he told my mum that my brother was just at the wrong place because they came for Hardway and not him. He said to my mum: “Go home let me make contact I’ll get back to you”. Those were his words. We’ve been to all police stations and military posts within Enugu State and none of them know anything about the arrest, our Igwe (king) is aware of this, I called our village chairman, a Major General who’s from my town, and informed him also. Till now, we have yet to find my brother and rest. My father’s health worsened after this arrest and he eventually died.
A day after my father’s funeral my mum went to meet Mr Uche Ohagwu again since he said he was going to make some calls to find out. Even though it’s against our tradition for her to go out since she just buried her husband. She went just to see if her son could be found and brought back home to her. She, however, did not get any help, rather she assaulted my mum. Mr Uche Ohagwu beat up my mum who was carrying her grandchild who was less than six months old and kicked her out. She was left with bruises all over her body. He said the three boys had been killed. Mr Uche Ohagwu is popularly known as a killer.
We reported the matter to the village head, and I made a report to the human rights office in Enugu. They told my mum to meet with the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) of the police station in my town.
When and where exactly did the incident happen in Enugu?
It happened on September 18, 2023, around 2 am at my late father’s (Mr Godfrey Onuh) compound Ndiagu Ezioha Mgbowo in Awgu LGA Enugu State.
Have you been to the police station to look for them and what have been the responses so far?
We’ve been to almost all the police stations in Enugu.
Your cousin that the uniform men reportedly came for, what does he do for a living?
Udeh Chukwuebuka,(Hardway) is 33 years old, he doesn’t have any job that I am aware of.
I don’t have an idea what he does for a living to the best of my knowledge I can’t say much about him because we only stayed together for a while when we were still little.
What are the efforts you’ve made so far looking for your brother and your cousin who were arrested?
We’ve tried our best to reach out to all force offices within Enugu state. We even went to the office of the commissioner of police, and we were told that they would air it on the radio, but we got the same response which was “We are not the ones that came for the raid, we’ve made calls and none of our colleagues are aware of it”. We have made all the necessary complaints to law enforcement officers but it’s not yielding anything positive.
Where is Udeh Chukwuebuka(Hardway), the man the security men reportedly came to arrest currently?
He’s in Enugu town.
In your family house?
No. He is currently living in a rented apartment.
Why has he refused to come to the family house where he was staying before the incident?
He stays in the village sometimes while his family stays in the rented apartment because he is married with two kids.
What about his parents?
They are late.
What is the relationship between your family and Mr Uche Ohagwu?
He’s from my village in Ndiagu Ezioha Mgbowo in Awgu LGA Enugu State. On the day of this incident, as I said earlier, he told my mum that my brother was at the wrong place, adding that she should go back home and that once it was daybreak, he’d make a few calls for his release.
We’re not related in any way aside from the fact that we’re from the same village and he happens to be the head of the forest guard in my village.
He is the same person who told my mum that my younger brother wasn’t the one they came for and that his only crime was that he happened to be in the house of our cousin they came for.
What has been the reaction of the village head and elders?
They only promised that they would look into the matter and nothing has been done about it. I feel very bad and heartbroken. However, our familly refuses to believe that our brother and cousin are dead.
Can you tell me more about your brother, what kind of person is he?
My brother’s name is Onuh Jephthah Melvin Chigozirim, he was born on May 15, 1997, and he’s 27 years old now, and he is from Ndiagu Ezioha Mgbowo in Awgu LGA Enugu State.
He is an easygoing person loved by all in the community, he is a fashion designer in Lagos, and he only came home to see my parents when the incident happened.
How do you feel about the situation?
I feel heartbroken because of the injustice of my missing brothers and my mum who was assaulted. It has not been easy for me, my husband, and my kids because they’re all close to Jephtha. It was the frustration of this matter that killed my dad.
When did your father pass on?
I lost my dad on March 13, 2024, at the age of 71. He has been battling with high blood since the arrest of Melvin and my other cousin, he was buried on the 2nd of April 2024.
What about your other siblings and family, what are they doing about this issue?
We’ve been together since the day of this incident, and we’ve all been putting in efforts to locate him but because most of them aren’t in Lagos here they assist via calls, suggestions, and monetary aspects when it’s within their means.
To be frank the arrest of my brother has devastated the entire family. On the day my brother was arrested, my dad was conscious of his environment. I said he was conscious because he also had dementia at that time. But on that particular day, he was conscious of his environment because he started struggling to get out of the room but since he was partially paralysed, he couldn’t do so. He was just struggling and groaning then to make matters worse the day my mum was assaulted he was also conscious. These two incidents greatly contributed to making his health conditions worse. eventually, he couldn’t survive and gave up on the 13th of March. My mum is also badly affected she has lost tremendous weight, and her psychological health is also affected. Our first daughter has also been affected because she is also battling high blood pressure now. The same goes for all my other siblings everyone is devastated.
My dad didn’t get to see my brother before he died and my brother didn’t get to see his corpse or even perform the traditional rites his siblings had to perform the rites so that whenever he came back he wouldn’t be faced with any repercussions.
What position are you in the family?
I am the fourth child and three daughters, I am married with children and I reside in Enugu state with my family. My brother is the fifth child and second son. We are seven in number.
What do you do for a living?
I am a businesswoman, I sell clothes offline and online, I am 30 years old, and my name is Mrs Agwuoke Shulammite.
What kind of help do you need?
I need help in finding my brother and if possible getting justice for the assault on my mother.
How did you feel when your dad passed on, what are the things you want to remember him for?
I felt heartbroken when I received the news of his death. My dad was a devoted servant of God. A very hardworking man filled with the zeal to worship God. He taught every one of us how to read and write before we started school. We were all brought up in the way of God. You can’t go wrong in business once you implement Dad’s strategy. He was always on the side of truth no matter the cost. He would wake us up at odd hours to pray and seek forgiveness for our wrong actions. He was a very neat person May his soul rest on till we meet in paradise.
How have you been consoling your mum?
We’ve been trying our best by offering words of encouragement, being with her, making her happy to the best of our ability, praying with her, and assuring her that soon her son will be back home safe and sound.
What kind of help do you need now?
We need help in locating my brother and others who were taken away, bringing them back home and if possible getting help for our assaulted mother. I will be very happy if we can find my brother and the rest who were arrested. It has not been easy for all of us to deal with this pain.
