Man killed in Aba for chasing assailants' woman

A man, has been killed in a village near Aba for allegedly going after the girl friend of one of his assailants. The man, Stanley Coker, 50, who hailed from Opobo town in Rivers State and said to be working in a company in, Aba, Daily Sun gathered, was returning from work last Thursday evening but decided to visit a bar popularly known as Madam Ngozi Joint near his home at Umule, Osusu Amaukwa in Obingwa Local Government to have a drink. But unknown to him, death was lurking by the side.

As he entered the local bar and before he could settle down to order for his drinks, three young men who were said to be members of the community accosted him. After some exchange of words which a source said was centred on a woman, the three young men reportedly engaged Coker in a fight. In the cause of the fight, the men who are now on the run inflicted machete cuts on Coker's head and he died instantly. Coker's assailants were said to have made sure that he died before they fled.

They chased away anybody who wanted to come to the deceased's aid. As the deceased, a father of seven did not return home that night, his wife, Ngozi, thought that he travelled out of the city with his boss and perhaps he would come back the following day. But the following morning, she received the news that her husband's corpse was lying at the Osusu Amaukwa axis of the Aba-Umuahia old highway (Ururuka Road) and the woman immediately alerted the traditional ruler of the community, HRH (Eze) Sunday Godwin Ikonne who in turn informed the police at Umuobiakwa police division.

The police immediately arrested some people leaving within the vicinity Coker was murdered and the owner of the bar where the deceased went to drink before he was killed. When Daily Sun correspondent visited the home of the deceased at Umule, Osusu Amaukwa, the wife and children were in pensive mood as sympathizers trooped in to console the family.

The traditional ruler of the community Eze Ikonne who regretted the tragedy said it was the first time such would happen in the area and urged the police to fish out the perpetrators. Coker's wife while also urging the police to unmask the people that killed her husband, appealed to the Abia State Government to come to her aid to be able to train the seven children he left behind.