The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a man, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, for allegedly killing his father, retired Captain David Nwoke, with a machete at Oro Ekpo Estate, Ada George, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning and left residents in shock. Many who gathered at the scene were overwhelmed with grief as news of the killing spread through the community.
A source said the deceased, a retired Marine Captain, had planned to relocate to his hometown in eastern Nigeria. According to the source, he had invited his children to inform them of his decision and distribute some of his properties before the tragic incident occurred on Sunday morning.
According to The Punch, the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident, said on Wednesday that the suspect, believed to be the son of the deceased’s second wife, had demanded one of his father’s cars. However, the request was reportedly refused.
The source alleged that after his father declined to hand over the vehicle, the suspect hid inside the man’s sitting room and waited for him to return.
The urce said, when the elderly man arrived home, the suspect emerged from hiding and attacked him with a machete, inflicting multiple deep cuts on his body.
He stated, “The man (deceased) has already settled all his children. It was the son of his father’s second wife who now said he needed the car even after his father had settled him. He insisted that he wouldn’t allow his father to take the car to the village.
“The man is a retired Captain who wants to relocate to his village, so he called his children and said he wants to sell his properties and then settle all of them.
“All his children studied abroad. Even the son who killed him studied abroad.
“So the man went for his routine exercise that morning. As he went upstairs to freshen up, he didn’t know his son was waiting. Immediately he entered the room, his son macheted him.”
“As the father was shouting, the house help came to stop the son. He tried to attack the girl. So, as the father saw that his son went after the girl and the door was open, the father managed, despite the multiple injuries, to run downstairs.
“On sighting his father, the son attacked him a second time and macheted his father several times until the man died.
“He then collected the car key from the father, who was in a pool of blood, went upstairs and locked himself in one of the rooms.
“So following the distress call, policemen from the Rumupakani Police Division arrived, arrested the boy and took him away.” he narrates.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident, saying the investigation is ongoing.
“I can confirm that the suspect is in police custody. Investigations have commenced with a view to ensuring that justice is served,” Agabe stated.