Army Officer Shot Dead By Brother For Taking New Wife

A warrant officer with the Nigeria Army, 50-year-old Joseph Ekpenyong Okon has been shot dead by his elder brother. The suspect was said to have taken the action as a way of protesting against the de­ceased’s decision to marry a new wife.

This has led operatives of the De­partment of Criminal Investigation, Rivers State Police Command to ar­rest the 60-year-old suspect, Okon Ekpenyong Okon who is now helping with investigations into the incident. The victim and suspect are from Ono Ito Odukpani area of Akwa Ibom State.

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Henry Fadairo, who con­firmed the incident, told Saturday Sun that the Army officer was killed on January 24, following his decision to marry another woman identified as Ruth.

It was gathered that the late war­rant officer had earlier got married to a Liberian woman who now lives in Ohafia, Abia State, as his first wife.

“When the deceased went back to his base in Akwa Ibom, the elder brother, Okon Ekpenyong Okon with other family members wanted to park out the luggage of the new wife. They abused her and this prompted her to call her husband to inform him of the threats from his family”, the police boss disclosed.

As a result, the deceased was said to have rushed to Cross River State to settle the dispute. Rather than the conflict being resolved, both brothers ended up in a scuffle.

It was further gathered that on the fateful day, the warrant officer was relaxing on a sofa waiting for his din­ner around 10.00pm after the elders in the family had settled the dispute between the two brothers when sud­denly the suspect, Okon allegedly hid in a nearby uncompleted building, from where he reportedly shot his younger brother in the forehead, as a result of which he died instantly.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID, Mr Ganiyu Salami said that the incident was immediately reported at Atan- Eki police station before the case was transferred to the SCID.

He said the police have recov­ered the dane gun used by the suspect to shoot his brother. The suspect told Saturday Sun: “I shot him over his decision to marry a second wife be­cause we have been having conflict over the issue for sometime. When­ever we quarrelled over the issue of his second wife, my late brother will break my dane gun and after that he would promise to buy another gun for me.”

He said he had to flee from the scene of the crime same night but the youths in the community chased him and arrested him before handing him over to the police.

“It was the devil that used me to kill my brother. I want my family to forgive me”, he added even as CP Fa­dairo stated that the suspect, will soon be charged to court.