Police authorities in Benin City, the Edo State capital are currently investigating a case of alleged conspiracy and threat to life of one Benjamin Okoro, the heir apparent to the estate of late Chief Sunday Okoro.
Late Okoro, a retired Police officer, was reported to have died on December 6, 2017 at the age of 77. Prior to his demise, he handed over his properties to his eldest child, Benjamin Okoro, as practiced in the culture and tradition of the Benin people.
However, trouble was said to have started among the children of the late Sunday Okoro on February 20, 2023 when one of them, Emman Okoro, accused the eldest child, Benjamin Okoro, of plans to deny them of partaking in sharing of their father’s estate for not returning home from abroad, thereby threatening to kill him whenever or wherever he is seen, a development that has led to deep hate, mistrust and disunity in the family.
In was reliably gathered that an attempt to retrieve the documents of the property in custody of a senior member of the family and sell the same off in the absence of Benjamin, sparked off a violent fight leading to some of the siblings sustaining various degrees of injuries as dangerous weapons were said to have been used in the melee that unsued.
One of the injured children after the attack was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital where medical personnel battled to save his life.
As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Benjamin Okoro remained unknown. A family source, however, confided in journalists that he (Benjamin) had relocated abroad.
Meanwhile, one of the senior female members of the family, Lizben Okoro, reported the matter to the Police Station.
It was learnt that men of the Edo State Police Command had also commenced investigation into the matter in a bid to restore normalcy to the troubled Okoro family.
A Police source confided in reporters that some of the siblings arrested are currently helping police authorities over the incident.
Another Police source said further information on the matter will be made known to the public as soon as investigation was conducted.
