Tina Amanda
A tenant of the late human right lawyer, Kenneth Atsuwete, who was murdered by assassins, has testified before a High Court in Port Harcourt that his late landlord was shot dead in the early hours of 29th August, 2016.
Pastor Abah Emmanuel told the court that on 28th August 2016, at about 8 pm, while driving home from church with his wife, some young men intercepted them at the entrance to their gate at gunpoint.
According to him, the hoodlums shot in the air several times and blindfolded him and took him away on the same motorbike they came in, adding that after driving for ten to fifteen minutes, they stopped the bike, took him into a place and began to torture him.
He said further that after receiving several beatings from the criminals, they demanded he pays three million naira ransom, of which he told them that he did not have.
Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak in Nigeria: Answers to your most common questions
Pastor Emmanuel further told the court that he was released at about 12 midnight when they realized he was not the landlord of the house, stressing that they drove him out of the place blindfolded, and dropped him at the middle of a bush.
He noted that he kept running out of the bush path that night until he was able to locate a residential area, and begged to stay in someone’s compound till morning when he put a call through to his wife and explained the situation of things to her.
He told the court that the wife later called him, that late Ken has offered to come along with her to pick him where he is, stressing that some hours later his wife called him that the landlord being (Kenneth Atsuwete) has been shot on their way to pick him that early hours at about 6 am in the morning by some gunmen.
The Clergy said that Ken did not die immediately as he was rushed to the hospital while he went to the police station in Aluu Boundary area in Ikwerre local government area to make a statement to the Police.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Boma Diepriye adjourned the matter to 11th and 14th May for the continuation of cross-examination.
