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The wife of the slain staff of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nkechinyere Ukwa, has accused some of their church members in Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, of being masterminds of the death of her husband, Monday Akwa.
Winners Chapel was founded by renowned Bishop, Dr. David Oyedepo.
Speaking in their Abakaliki residence, wife of the deceased, who described her husband as a jovial and easy going person, alleged that one of the members of the church, identified as Frank, with his cohorts masterminded the dastardly act and called on security agents to bring all the perpetrators to book.
She said her husband’s death has left a vacuum in her life and family impossible to fill, adding that her deceased hubby had been the one taking her through her educational pursuit.
She recalled that he had promised to sponsor her to any height she desired, lamenting that her dreams had been shattered.
The National Open University Law student noted that the affinity with their father was such that the children hardly sleep in the night without their father, especially their last child who always sleeps on her father’s belly.
She narrated that the said Frank had displayed obvious disdain and contempt against her husband over a particular church position he was requested to occupy.
She narrated: “On the 3rd day of March, 2019, being Sunday, during the Sunday church service, me and my husband were in the church with other church members waiting for the person that was supposed to hand over a leadership position to my husband to do so, but that person, Frank by name, walked away.
“He walked away and refused to hand over to my husband who was to take over from him as directed by the church.
“The Church is Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Umuoghara branch, Abakaliki.
“So, when the Pastor-in-Charge of the church noticed Frank’s action, he went to him to query his behaviour.
“After several pleadings and persuasions by the Pastor, he reluctantly came out and handed over to my husband.
“But after that, Mr. Frank went to the back seat where he usually sits with some of his group and were audibly murmuring to the hearing of everyone in the church, showing grave bitterness.
“The election for new leaders of the church was done last year when our former Pastor was there before he was transferred.
“So, Frank was the former leader of a group called Hospitality Group in the church and the church elected my husband to be the new leader of that group to take over from him, but he had vowed not to relinquish power.
“Rather than hand over to my husband, Frank started projecting one Ogbonna Igboke to assume leadership of the group in the church.
“However, the church insisted that my husband must be the leader of that arm because, according to members, if the leadership was given to Igboke, his stooge, Frank, would still be in control to perfect his mission.
“In this group, Hospitality Unit, any leader stays only for a tenure of two years, but Frank had served more than two tenures.
“He has always been fighting any Pastor posted to the church.
“An ugly incident occurred before the last Pastor was transferred, of which Frank nearly pulled down the church, which would have killed the then Pastor and his family.
“My late husband even said he was not interested in this post because he was already busy with other services as an Elder in the Board of Deacons’ Assembly.
“That Sunday they killed my husband, he had told me in the morning that he was not going to church and that day was the day Winners Chapel were doing their hand over worldwide.
“In fact, it was me who opposed him and encouraged him to go and take up the new leadership of that unit since the church wants him, not knowing that Frank has other ulterior motives against him.
“Frank, Ogonna Igboke and one Oliver belong to same clique, but the one that pains me most is Oliver who happens to come from our village and could not protect the interest of my husband, his brother.
“When we came back from Church that day, there was one of our elder’s wife who had been very sick for long and has not been coming to church.
“She happens to be the President of the women group, while I am the Secretary.
“On that fateful day, after church service, we, the women executives, went and visited the woman.
“After praying for her, our men counterparts agreed to also visit the woman in the evening.
“That day, my husband just came back and round 4pm, his phone rang and it was one of those that were given positions too on that day in our church, his friend, Engr. Kingsley Nnabuko, who called to inform him that it was time for them to visit the woman.
“When he received the call, I was unhappy because we just came back.
“Then, my husband had not even come into the house when the phone rang as he was still outside playing with the children.
“I was not willing to let him go out again, but realizing where they were going, I had to allow him.
“So, he went and I never knew it was going to be the last time I will see and hear from him.
“That night, he was returning and had almost reached the house as we waited for him after their visitation to the sick member.
“In fact, he had actually gotten to a block industry close to our residence when he received another call and reversed his car out again.
“That call came from Frank and it was around 10pm that very night.
“I want the killers of my husband to be brought to book.
“I want the government to look into the matter and come to my aid because my husband’s death has affected me a lot.
“His death has in fact affected many lives.
“It was him that knows the kind of drugs my sick mother and father take and he prescribes and buys the drugs for them.
“Will I talk of my children who don’t sleep in the night without him?
“My last baby sleeps on his tummy.
“For the past few days, I know how it has been, not to talk of myself who is still in school.
“They just terminated my husband’s bright future.
“He has acquired many certificates and still pursuing his education.
“Just for him to collect his final certificate and his life was terminated.
“I am calling on government to do something, let them not keep quiet.
“Justice must prevail over my husband’s death.
“I don’t know where to start because the vacuum he left cannot be filled by anybody.
“Is it my daughter who has just written her common entrance examination who would be admitted into secondary school by September?
“I don’t know where to start and where to end.”
The younger brother of the deceased, Emeka Ukwa, who was gravely devastated, said his aged mother and father depended on his brother for survival and that he was praying fervently to God to give them the strength to survive the painful death of their son.
Emend described his late brother as a hardworking, caring young man who has many years to stay on the planet earth, but was sent to early grave by some wolves in sheep’s clothing, his church members.
Emeka lamented: “My brother is still a very young man to die like this.
“I was sleeping in the midnight when my phone rang and the person that called me on phone was from our village and he said that a member of the state vigilante group, Neighborhood Watch, called him and said that they saw a corpse around Haraca filling station and that an ID card of the person bears Ukwa Monday.
“Before I could reach there, his corpse has been taken away by the police.
“Where my brother’s death is paining me most is that my father is very old, my mother is also very old and he is the one that takes care of them because he works in the hospital.
“I am even praying God to help me not to burry three corpses at the same time because I don’t think my father and my mother can endure the death of my brother.”
Recall that the death of Monday Ukwa was confirmed on Monday morning by the Ebonyi State Police command.
His body was said to have been recovered along Abakaliki-Enugu highway.
Ukwa, The Eagle Online gathered, left behind a wife, four children, nine siblings, aged parents and parents in-law.
Meanwhile, the Police has confirmed arrest of some persons in connection with the crime.
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