Following the alleged killing of one Chibugo Amadi by his kinsmen in Umuora village in Umuohiri community in the Isiala Mbano local government area of Imo State on Monday, May 20, 2025, the commissioner of police, Aboki Danjuma, has ordered a thorough investigation and arrest of the fleeing locals.
Amadi, who was accused of a machete fight against his younger brother, Mr Ezemonye Amadi, over a land issue, was fined ₦850,000 by the community, during which he was allegedly forced to sell off four plots of his land to pay the fine.
A human rights-based organisation, Stand for Humanity Foundation, on behalf of the widow, Mrs Chinonye Amadi, petitioned the Imo Police boss after a video of the killing surfaced across social media handles showing the people clubbing Chibugo to death.
In the video, the deceased was paraded naked around the village while people were seen hitting him with weapons amidst wailing from his wife and his children to stop.
Founder of Stand for Humanity Foundation, Comrade Chidiebube Okeoma, alongside their legal adviser, Barr Chijioke Onwubuariri, who is offering free legal services, said they were championing advocacy for justice for the family of the deceased, especially as villagers claimed the deceased died after a fall from a tree despite video evidence of the assault.
Okeoma said that the wife of the deceased, with three out of her eight children, ran to the Stand for Humanity Foundation demanding justice.
The petition written by Onwubuariri, which was addressed to the CP, read in part, “We are solicitors to STAND FOR HUMANITY FOUNDATION, who act on behalf of Mrs Chinonye Amadi of Umuora Umuohiri Community, Isiala Mbano, Imo State, hereinafter referred to as ‘our client,’ throughout this correspondence and on whose firm instruction we bring this complaint.”
“Our client reliably informed us on the 22nd day of May 2025 at our ONWUBUARIRI & ONWUBUARIRI LAW CONSULT OFFICE in Owerri, that sometime in April, precisely on the 3rd 2025, her late husband, Mr Chibugo Amadi (now deceased), had a dispute with his younger brother, Mr Ezemonye Amadi, over a land issue.
“This dispute escalated into a fight involving the use of machetes, during which Mr Ezemonye Amadi sustained injuries. Fearing retaliation, Mr Chibugo Amadi fled the community for a few days.
“In his absence, his kinsmen convened and adjudicated the matter, imposing a fine of ₦850,000 (eight hundred and fifty thousand naira) on him. To satisfy this imposed fine, Mr Chibugo Amadi was coerced, as they conspired among themselves and sold our client’s late husband’s four plots of land at a gross undervaluation of ₦200,000 per plot—an area where a plot goes for ₦1,500,000. The total of ₦750,000 realised was paid to the kinsmen, leaving a remaining 100,000 outstanding balance.
“Despite complying with their demands, the kinsmen deceitfully lured Mr. Chibugo Amadi back to the community under the guise of a ‘final settlement.’ Tragically, upon his return, he was forcefully taken to Mkpacha Umuora, where he was subjected to inhuman torture and jungle justice, resulting in fatal injuries.
“He was later dumped at a hospital in Okwelle while barely alive and sadly gave up the ghost upon arrival”, the petition read.
Meanwhile, Okeoma said that although the perpetrators were on the run, Barr Chijioke Onwubuariri offered free legal representation to the organisation to ensure Mrs Chinonye Amadi got justice for her late husband.
State police spokesperson DSP Henry Okoye has assured that justice will be served in the matter.
