Abia Civil Servant Kills Man During Argument Over Unpaid Salaries, Angry Mob Lynches Him

A tragic incident has occurred in Aba, Abia State, resulting in the death of two persons following a heated argument over unpaid salaries of staff of the Abia State Water and Sewerage Corporation (Water Board).

ABN TV gathered that the sad incident happened on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Ukaonu Street by NEPA in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.

The deceased, identified as Uche Onyekaba popularly Known as POKA, a staff member of the Abia Water Board from Ozuitem in Bende Local Government Area, was among over 20 staff members whose salaries were suspended by the Abia State Ministry of Power and Public Utilities since last year.

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Sources told ABN TV that the late Uche, who had reportedly lost two of his children due to inability to afford medical care as a result of the unpaid salaries, got into a heated argument with another man over the lingering salary crisis affecting workers of the agency.

The argument, which turned physical, saw Uche allegedly hitting the other man with a stone, leading to his death.

Eyewitnesses said the tragic scene turned worse when an angry mob descended on Uche and beat him to death before security operatives arrived.

Confirming the incident to ABN TV, the spokesperson of Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said command operatives, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area, moved swiftly to the scene and recovered the two bodies.

“It happened at Ukaonu Street by NEPA in Aba South Local Government, Abia State. Officers of the Command, led by the DPO, recovered two dead bodies. Investigation revealed that the two individuals were quarrelling, which led to the death of one, and an angry mob killed the other,” she said.

DSP Chinaka said the corpses had been evacuated to a morgue while investigation is ongoing.

The incident has further heightened tension among staff of the Abia Water Board, who have been agitating over the non-payment of their salaries for the past 11 months.

There are growing calls on the Abia State Government to intervene to prevent further breakdown of law and order urgently.