Native Doctor Involved In Beheading Anambra Lawmaker, Okoye Arrested

A 70-year-old native doctor suspected to be working for the gunmen that beheaded an Anambra lawmaker, Okechukwu Okoye, has been arrested.

One of the gunmen, who was arrested last week, allegedly, claimed that they were working with the native doctor who was at large.

The native doctor was said to have been traced to Unubi in Nnewi South local government area of Anambra State.

Anambra State Public Relations Officer, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, however, declined to speak on the arrest, saying he would not want to speak on the matter so as not to jeopardise investigations.

He said: “We don’t want to disclose some of our strategies. Let them know that the police command is not folding its hands in unmasking these killers.”

“These things are intelligence-driven and there are already eyewitnesses. In due time, we will let Nigerians know as we will bring all the perpetrators to book.

“Please, help us to tell Nigerians that a lot is being done.”

A human rights group, the International Society for the Rule of Law had in a publication yesterday said the 70-year-old herbalist was apprehended by officers of the Department of State Services ( DSS).

Chairman of the board of directors of the group, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, said the arrest was in connection with the abduction, disappearance, beheading and decapitation of the lawmaker, Okechukwu Okoye, who was abducted on 15th May 2022.

He said that the native doctor was technologically trailed after he was found to have used the beheaded lawmaker’s sim-card to make criminal calls, adding that even after exhausting the sim-card ‘credit’, he completed the calls with his cell phone.

He added, “The slayers of the beheaded lawmaker were earlier traced to Unubi where ransom running into millions of naira was physically delivered. The slayers collected the ransom and still went ahead to slay and decapitate the lawmaker.”